[Future technological evolutions in blood donation qualification]

Transfus Clin Biol. 2007 May;14(1):132-41. doi: 10.1016/j.tracli.2007.04.006. Epub 2007 May 25.
[Article in French]

Abstract

In the past decades, blood donation screening contributed significantly to blood safety improvement, thanks to the increasing performances of serological and nucleic acid testing (NAT) assays, as well as the evolution of automated systems technology. The rapid pace of NAT development can be clearly seen to extend into the future. NAT for additional viruses as well as the use of new automated systems for individual donation or smaller mini-pool testing, with multiplex assays, is currently debated. However, few added benefit is expected for blood safety from such developments, while cost-effectiveness appears to be poor. The next step in laboratory automation will probably be the implementation of robotic pre- and post-analytical procedures. In this article we review the potential future evolutions of screening technologies in blood qualification platforms, particularly those derived from nanobiotechnologies. DNA microarrays, Lab-On-Chips, biosensors and nanoparticles (quantum dots) will probably play a major role in the coming decade.

MeSH terms

  • Automation
  • Biotechnology
  • Blood Banks / trends*
  • Blood Donors*
  • Blood Transfusion / trends
  • Communicable Disease Control
  • DNA / blood
  • DNA / genetics
  • Humans
  • Nanotechnology
  • Patient Selection
  • RNA / blood
  • RNA / genetics
  • Transfusion Reaction

Substances

  • RNA
  • DNA