Transfusion medicine

"The history of blood transfusion is a fabulous human adventure in the course of which intentional and fortuitous conjunction of medical and scientific know-how resulted in the birth of a new medical discipline. The extraordinary revelation of these successive stages in which applied research predominated was the unsuspected potential of blood and bone marrow cells. This potential extends to a great number of pathologies, many of which are outside the field of hematology. Pursuing the development of this therapeutic potential is the challenge to be taken up in the next decade. No matter what complex technologies are called into play to this purpose, the donor remains the essential actor, as he has been since the beginning of this story. Therefore, continued medical and scientific progress in this field must go hand in hand with unrelenting ethical reflection."

After a detailed description of discoveries in the field of transfusion, and of their applications over the past three decades, the book deals with all the questions that will determine the future of transfusion:

• transfusion safety, based on better controls, and on the introduction of new therapeutic models and innovative methods of analysis, particularly future applications of nanotechnologies for biologic testing of donations;
• projects related to emerging biotechnologies, some of which are already in progress, and which offer significant possibilities for transfusion: ex vivo production of blood cells, preservation of blood products thanks to the development of hematopoietic cytokines, reduction of the immunogenicity of labile blood products and creation of universal red cells, new collection techniques, blood cell substitutes...
• challenges of cell and tissue engineering as part of the activities of transfusion medicine, dedicated to mastering and managing cell samples, regardless of their origin. All cellular therapy strategies are examined in this section: the legal status of the cell, its therapeutic potential for reconstruction medicine, production of vectors for gene transfer...
• finally, the last section of the book considers the evolution of transfusion in its sociologic, ethical and cultural context, and ends with a vision of the transfusion of the future, given present advances considered relevant.