Research

How did we manage to take care of Finland's blood supply last year? In the Blood Service's new annual report 2023, you will find key figures and statistics, as well as reviews of the most important changes and events of last year.

The application period for 2024 grants from the Blood Service Research Fund has opened to researchers. The purpose of the grants is to support research related to current and future Blood Service products and services. The application period is 5 April to 12 May 2024. The maximum amount of the grant is up to €150,000.

Jan Koski, MSc, a project researcher at the Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, defended his doctoral thesis on enhancing CAR T cell therapy at the University of Helsinki’s Faculty of Medicine on Friday 15 December 2023.

A new pilot project is using samples from donors to investigate susceptibility to haemochromatosis, a disease in which iron accumulates in the body.

The FinnGen research consortium has successfully collected and generated genomic data from 500,000 individuals. Now, the project will continue its search for genetic clues to disease progression and explore the biological mechanism of the genetic signals uncovered in the first stages of the project. In the FinnGen project there's also genome data produced from blood donors in the Blood Service Biobank.

This year, the Blood Service Research Fund has decided to award EUR 500,000 in grants to a total of 11 research projects.

The Blood Service has begun a project to utilise unused cord blood products in medical research. In August, approximately one thousand mothers and their children who have donated cord blood will receive a letter from the Blood Service asking them for permission to transfer the donated cord blood to the Blood Service’s biobank.

Minna Mäki (PhD) has been named director of research, product development and new services at the Blood Service. She takes up her new position on 22 May 2023.

The Blood Service Annual Report for 2022 has been published. You will find all the key figures and statistics concerning Finnish Red Cross Blood Service and an overview of the most important changes and events that took place last year.

Call for applications for grants of the Blood Service Research Fund opens on 6 February 2023. The primary aim of the Fund is to support research related to the current and possible future products and services of the Finnish Red Cross Blood Service. The application period is from 6 February to 31 March 2023.

Year 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the start of operations of Finnish Red Cross Blood Service. The systemic collection of blood began in Finland during the war years. Established in 1948, the Blood Service has been responsible for the national blood supply chain with voluntary donors for decades, for the benefit of the patients.

In organ and stem cell transplantation, the compatibility of the tissues between the patient and the donor plays an important role in the success of the transplantation. As part of the research for her doctoral dissertation, Tiira Johansson and her collaborators have developed new laboratory methods to support the research on tissue typing and cancer treatment.