Anonymised specimen archive of Scottish blood donors

• Research type

  Research Tissue Bank

• IRAS ID

  352386

• Research summary

  Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service - National Microbiology Reference Unit (NMRU)

• REC name

  West of Scotland REC 4

• REC reference

  25/WS/0024

• Date of REC Opinion

  11 Mar 2025

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion

• Data collection arrangements

  Sample aliquots will be stored frozen in locked freezers at the address above. Donors who opt into the study after seeing poster NATL310 (attached) at their normal blood donation registration and indicate their willingness to take part will be given the leaflet NATL 311 "Research Project: Information for blood donors" (attached) to read, if they confirm their willingness to take they will be asked to complete the Blood donor consent form NATF 518 (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. See "Summary of Archive Research Program" Ver 1 (attached). During the last 5 year period (20-WS-0068) 1481 samples have been added to the archive covering years 2022 to 2025.

• RTBTitle

  Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service - National Microbiology Reference Unit (NMRU)

• Establishment organisation

  Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service

• Establishment organisation address

  The Jack Copland Centre

  52 Research Avenue North

  Heriot Watt Research Park, Edinburgh

  EH144BE