Anonymised specimen archive of Scottish blood donors

• Research type

  Research Tissue Bank

• IRAS ID

  283057

• Research summary

  Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service - Microbiology RDI Group

• REC name

  West of Scotland REC 4

• REC reference

  20/WS/0068

• Date of REC Opinion

  12 Jun 2020

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion

• Data collection arrangements

  Sample aliquots will be stored frozen in locked freezers at the address above. Randomly chosen donors will be approached during normal blood donation procedure and if they agree to take part in a research project they will be given Information for blood donor to read and to fill out the Blood donor consent form (attached). The sample archive is anonymized, no identifiable data will be available to link sample to donor retrospectively.

• Research programme

  The purpose of the Archive is to allow quick determination of the frequencies of current and past infection with viruses and other agents in Scottish blood donor population without entailing donor identification and recipient look-back. The anonymised archive is available for screening for new, emerging or re-emerging viruses or other agents that may be transfusion transmissible should and when they become a perceived threat for the SNBTS. The ability to screen and explore the epidemiology of new transmissible agents at an early stage provides valuable information in assessing the threat that they may pose for the safety of blood transfusion and for making realistic assessments of the frequency of transmission of known viruses for which screening is not carried out.

• RTBTitle

  Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service - Microbiology RDI Group

• Establishment organisation

  Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service

• Establishment organisation address

  The Jack Copland Centre

  52 Research Avenue North

  Heriot Watt Research Park, Edinburgh

  EH144BE