If you told me 5 years ago...

[jon-nyc]

That I would be attending (virtually) the Global Plasma Summit, put on by the Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association I would have thought you were insane.

Having said that, lots of interesting talks about Covid therapies.

[Jolly]

Should be super interesting.

On a side note, we are having a devil of a time getting blood and blood products because of COVID.

[jon-nyc]

Yeah, that was talked about.

Its a problem, the fractionation process literally takes months, so we're only jus beginning to feel the impact.

And that's before any new demand for plasma from emerging Covid treatments.

[Axtremus]

Just donated blood a few days ago, only my second blood donation since the COVID-19 lockdown first began. Would have donated sooner but for long while the donation centers were closed and there were no blood drive due to the lockdown.

[Klaus]

Why are you (virtually) attending that summit?

[jon-nyc]

I’m on the board of a rare disease foundation that relies heavily on plasma-based therapies.

[taiwan_girl]

@Jolly said in If you told me 5 years ago...:

On a side note, we are having a devil of a time getting blood and blood products because of COVID.

It is interesting. The US is very strict on who can donate blood. For example, I am unable to donate in the US because I have been in Thailand within the past 1 year.

Okay, I can understand that, but people donate blood in Thailand all the time LOL

In the US, I believe that they are concerned about malaria. I would think that Thailand would have some sort of screening for that? Hmmm

[Klaus]

@jon-nyc said in If you told me 5 years ago...:

I’m on the board of a rare disease foundation that relies heavily on plasma-based therapies.

What's the therapy supposed to do? I thought Alpha-1 is a gene defect...

[jon-nyc]

It is. The mutation causes a protein made in the liver to be misfolded and as a result unable to enter the bloodstream.

The treatment is to take that protein from donor plasma and infuse it into the blood directly.

[Jolly]

@taiwan_girl said in If you told me 5 years ago...:

@Jolly said in If you told me 5 years ago...:

On a side note, we are having a devil of a time getting blood and blood products because of COVID.

It is interesting. The US is very strict on who can donate blood. For example, I am unable to donate in the US because I have been in Thailand within the past 1 year.

Okay, I can understand that, but people donate blood in Thailand all the time LOL

In the US, I believe that they are concerned about malaria. I would think that Thailand would have some sort of screening for that? Hmmm

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4924468/