Research opportunities in transfusion medicine

In recent years, the translation of basic research in transfusion medicine has led to development of novel cellular therapies using well-characterized cell populations isolated from either bone marrow or blood (eg, hematopoie tic stem and progenitor cells, T lymphocytes, dendritic cells). Refinements in cell therapies will make possible optimal stem cell engraftment, gene t herapy, immunotherapy of cancer and infectious disease, and even solid orga n regeneration. Moreover, the immune consequences of transfusion therapy ar e better appreciated and opportunities are at hand to prevent or blunt unwa nted immune responses, such as platelet refractoriness and graft-vs-host di sease. Transfusion medicine has become a broad, multidisciplinary field tha t has evolved beyond issues related to blood procurement and storage. The n ext series of advances in transfusion medicine will complement the current approaches of donor blood screening and viral/bacterial inactivation steps to ensure a safe and adequate blood supply.