Welsh Blood Service’s role in global blood research: Our work with the BEST-Collaborative
Mission 6 in our new RD&I Strategy says we will serve the people of Wales by supporting international initiatives. One of the ways we achieve this is through or membership of the BEST-Collaborative.
What is the BEST-Collaborative?
The Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion Collaborative (BEST-C) is an international group of leaders in transfusion medicine and cellular therapies. Its aim is to develop the best products and practices for donors and patients.
It brings together experts and organisations from around the world to share knowledge and work on Cellular Therapy, Conventional Components, Clinical Transfusion and Donor Studies. BEST-C creates a space where leaders can exchange ideas, learn from each other, and develop studies that tackle our shared global challenges. By working together, members can share insight and needs, data and tissue samples.
The collaboration helps shape the future of blood donation and transfusion and transplantation, ensuring we are maintaining the highest standards of safety, quality and effectiveness for both donors and patients globally.
The Welsh Blood Service’s role
The Welsh Blood Service is a member of BEST-C as an organisation. Through two nominated leads, we represent both the Welsh Blood Service and the transfusion ecosystem of NHS Wales. We lead on coordination across Wales to support hospital transfusion teams to participate in relevant BEST-C initiatives, broaden the reach of BEST-C and deliver international best practise and research locally.
We have been members of BEST-C for more than 10 years, contributing to vital projects with global impact. We have participated in an average of five studies each year.
Initiatives we support
Understanding Platelet Clumping to Reduce Waste
Led by Nicola Pearce in partnership with the Australian Red Cross, this study looked at why some platelet donations form clumps, making them unusable. These clumps, known as aggregates, lead to wasted donations and fewer available platelets. The study examined whether some donors were more likely to produce clumped platelets and whether filtering them before transfusion could improve their quality.
Rare Donor Reactions and ongoing work
In 2021, we contributed to this international study investigating rare and severe donor reactions using data from more than 22 million donations across six countries. Findings showed vasovagal reactions with injury occurred at 1.53 per 100,000 donations, with higher rates in females and first-time donors. The study also identified data gaps, prompting BEST-C to continue examining these issues with a global perspective to enhance donor wellbeing. By collaborating globally, WBS helps improve donor safety and refine care protocols. Ongoing efforts have recently been led by Julie Curry in Clinical Services, who continues to support this.
Infectious markers
As blood safety testing technologies continue to evolve, the Welsh Blood Service remains committed to understanding and evaluating their impact on donor and patient safety and on the quality of the blood products we produce.
Ann Jones and our Automated Testing department actively monitor and report on our performance, contributing data for comparison with other services.
In collaboration with BEST-C and other international initiatives, our contributions reflect a sustained commitment to ensuring that our testing strategies are optimised and robust and continuously monitored, scrutinised, and constructively challenged to drive ongoing improvement.
Looking ahead: Our commitment to blood research
The Welsh Blood Service remains committed to international research that enhances the safety and quality of blood transfusions. Through our continued work with BEST-C, we will help shape better testing methods, improve blood component quality, and contribute to scientific advancements that benefit patients worldwide. Our involvement ensures that we stay at the forefront of innovation, supporting life-saving treatments with the highest standards of care.