New research publications: May 2026

Discovery (3): These studies investigate the effects of compounds used in cryopreservation, changes in storage conditions, and in vitro testing methods with respect to biological development or blood quality.

Social science (1): This community-based qualitative study explores barriers to blood donation in South Asian communities in Ontario and highlights culturally informed strategies to improve participation.

Other (3): These papers highlight how Canadian experts are improving patient care through education initiatives, national guideline development, and clinical insights.

Where we published

Our research appeared in 5 journals, including Transfusion, Canadian Journal of Anesthesia and Cryobiology. 

Spotlight on select publications

• Pediatric transfusion camp: Developing, piloting and evaluation of a Canadian national pediatric transfusion medicine curriculum. 
   
  “In 2024-2025, the transfusion medicine education program Transfusion Camp was adapted by a steering committee of Canadian experts from pediatric subspecialties to include a pediatric-focused curriculum. With support from Canadian Blood Services, this Pilot Pediatric Transfusion Camp curriculum was delivered under the broader Transfusion Camp framework to pediatric anesthesia and pediatric hematology/oncology trainees at the University of Toronto, Université de Montréal, University of Calgary, and University of British Columbia to address knowledge gaps about transfusion practices in this sub-population of patients.  
  
  This publication describes the curriculum development, adaptation, and delivery processes and the program’s impact on participant transfusion medicine knowledge and confidence in handling transfusion scenarios.” 
  
  Casey Kapitany, Canadian Blood Services, on behalf of the Transfusion Camp Coordinating Office 

• Hold on to your units: Quality of red cell concentrates is only affected after multiple transient warming events. 
  
  “Red cell concentrates (RCCs) are typically cryopreserved for up to 10 years at Canadian Blood Services for individuals with rare blood types, providing one of the few transfusion options for this patient population. From collection, through production, to freezing, storage, tracking, shipping and processing, there are many opportunities for these rare units to be exposed to temperatures outside of their critical storage temperature. This exposure is termed a transient warming event (TWE) and may potentially impact product quality. Inventory management practices currently indicate that units exposed to any TWE are no longer suitable for transfusion.  
  
  This publication provides evidence that all TWEs are not equal, and thus inventory management practices need to accurately track and record exposure events to fully understand their potential impacts on frozen inventory. Our data suggests that exposure to a single TWE does not significantly impact the quality of the RCCs and that TWE exposure considerations should be made on a unit-by-unit basis, with an additional policy in place to support unit retention. This research was supported by the Canadian Blood Services Blood Efficiency Accelerator Awards Program." 
  
  Jayme Kurach, Canadian Blood Services project lead, NetCAD 

Our May publications list

This list includes any articles published this month, as well as those that have been e-collected or e-published on PubMed that have not previously appeared in our monthly publications list*.

• External N-2-fluorophenyl-D-gluconamide does not affect zebrafish embryogenesis. 
  Osmani R, Cavallotto L, William N, Acker J. Cryobiology. 2026 May 13;123:105640. doi: 10.1016/j.cryobiol.2026.105640. PMID: 42127885
• Hold on to your units: Quality of red cell concentrates is only affected after multiple transient warming events. 
  Kurach J, Brandon-Coatham M, William N, Olafson C, Turner TR, Rahman AT, Ehsani-Moghaddam B, Clarke G, Acker JP. Transfusion. 2026 May 4. doi: 10.1111/trf.70253. PMID: 42083450
• Pediatric transfusion camp: Developing, piloting and evaluation of a Canadian national pediatric transfusion medicine curriculum. 
  Zuna I, Arsenault V, Murto K, Beno S, Steele M, Young J, Leir S, Punnett A, Peters C, Barcat L, Lin Y, Kapitany C, Chargé S, Skelton T, Lieberman L. Transfusion. 2026 May 4. doi: 10.1111/trf.70252. PMID: 42083398
• Recommendations for Living Kidney Donor Follow-Up in Canada. 
  Singh SK, Jaure A, Gill MP, Johnston O, Gill J, Caton N, Pâquet M, John P, Ogniben A, Chritchley S, Dipchand C, Gill J, Pike P, Shamseddin MK, Bau J, Gourishankar S, Lesage J, Mainra R, Yohanna S, Connaughton DM, Gogan N, Storsley L, Redditt V, Duff M, Cazzolli R, Dominello A, Silva JR, Scholes-Robertson N, Sinka V, Gill JS. Clin Transplant. 2026 May;40(5):e70571. doi: 10.1111/ctr.70571.PMID: 42153590
• In reply: Hypoxic-ischemic spinal cord injury after cardiac arrest. 
  Francoeur C, Lehr A, Hornby L, Alkharusi A, Boyd JG, Saint Martin C, Poulin C, Slater F, Kirschen MP, Shemie SD. Can J Anaesth. 2026 May 26. doi: 10.1007/s12630-026-03131-5. PMID: 42192093
• Identifying Strategies to Address Systemic Barriers to Blood Donation for South Asian Communities in Ontario: A Community-Based Approach 
  Holloway K, Joshi P, Nadkarni SC, Khandelwal A, Singh J, Dhaliwal M, Raffinan L. I Healthcare. 2026; 14(11):1462. doi: 10.3390/healthcare14111462
• Comparison of four different in vitro assays for prediction of potential RBC antibody clinical significance. 
  Noa YR, Salou C, Beshai M, Cen SY, Hillis LK, Billingsley K, Branch DR. Transfusion. 2026 May 31. doi: 10.1111/trf.70287. PMID: 42219907 

Canadian Blood Services – Driving world-class innovation

Through discovery, development and applied research, Canadian Blood Services drives world-class innovation in blood transfusion, cellular therapy and transplantation—bringing clarity and insight to an increasingly complex healthcare future. Our dedicated research team and extended network of partners engage in exploratory and applied research to create new knowledge, inform and enhance best practices, contribute to the development of new services and technologies, and build capacity through training and collaboration. Find out more about our research impact. 

The opinions reflected in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Canadian Blood Services nor do they reflect the views of Health Canada or any other funding agency.