Blood Products Immune Mediators

Proposed Session Description: Blood transfusion is a major immunological event, not only exposing the recipient to alloantigens, but also to donor blood cells capable of active engagement with the recipient’s immune system through a wide range of mechanisms. Platelets and red blood cells (RBCs) express surface receptors that enable dynamic interactions with recipient immune cells, release and scavenge soluble immunomodulatory agents, and engage directly with pathogens. Collection, processing, and storage of blood products can impact the immunomodulatory potential of these transfused cells along with the soluble immune mediators found with them in the final transfused product. This session will provide an overview of recent basic science research into the immunomodulatory potential of blood products along with discussion of how these findings change our understanding of transfused blood cells as active participants in recipient immunity, how this may translate to the clinical setting, and areas for future research.