Thanks to all our blood donors!

Your blood at work in the lab.
A/Prof Justin Hamilton & colleague

To our valued blood donors,

Our Heartfelt thanks to you all for your continued support this year!

We hope that 2018 has been a fulfilling year for you.  It certainly has been for us, largely due to you – our valued blood donors, who allow our continued push to improve the diagnosis and treatment of blood-based diseases.  Much of our work at the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases is vitally dependent on the use of freshly collected human blood.  Which means every time you generously come in and donate, you have supported our Centre’s scientists to continue our fight against some of the most prevalent diseases in our communities.

So, from all of us here, a huge thanks for this essential contribution to our research effort.

With thanks to you, work from the dedicated scientists at our Centre this year has:

• Tested a drug dosing approach that improves the prevention of bleeding from trauma patients that will be rapidly implemented in the clinic for immediate impact;
• Designed a prototype miniature ‘on-chip’ medical device for the quick and effective bedside testing of the likelihood of patients to bleed or clot with just a drop of blood;
• Developed a series of antibodies that prevent the blood clots that cause heart attack and stroke, and licensed these to a USA-based biopharmaceutical company for clinical development.

Much of this important work is likely to result in real improvements for patients, yet none of it would be possible without your ongoing support. For that, we are truly grateful.

We wish you a healthy and enjoyable festive season, and we hope to see you back in the chair and rolling up your sleeves again in 2019.

With thanks and best wishes, on behalf of all of us at the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases.