SDBB, Sinopia partner to extend shelf life of red blood cells
San Diego
Thursday, November 03, 2016, 13:00 Hrs [IST]
The San Diego Blood Bank (SDBB), primary supplier of blood to the majority of hospitals in San Diego County, announced it is partnering with Sinopia Biosciences, Inc. (Sinopia), a San Diego-based computational biology company, by collecting and testing the aging of whole blood units from volunteer donors to develop a solution that will improve transfusion efficacy and extend the shelf life of red blood cells.
“We are excited to partner with Sinopia on this breakthrough project,” says David Wellis, Ph.D., chief executive officer of SDBB. “Deep molecular characterization of the aging of whole blood may provide molecular and biochemical targets to pursue for modulation of shelf life.”
Sinopia recently received notice of SBIR funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to develop novel additive solutions to improve the quality and viability of red blood cells in storage. Eventually, Sinopia and SDBB plan to extend the studies to include platelets.
“Sinopia’s computational biology discovery platform enables the development of novel interventions in transfusion medicine, pharmacology, and healthcare,” said Aarash Bordbar, Ph.D., chief technology officer of Sinopia and principal investigator. “We are excited about our collaboration with the San Diego Blood Bank to develop better transfusion products that meet patients’ needs and attain health providers’ standards.”
