VOX SANGUINIS

Vox Sanguinis reports on important, novel developments in transfusion medicine. Original papers, reviews and international fora are published on all aspects of blood transfusion and tissue transplantation, comprising five main sections:

1) Transfusion - Transmitted Disease and its Prevention:

Identification and epidemiology of infectious agents transmissible by blood;

Bacterial contamination of blood components;

Donor recruitment and selection methods;

Pathogen inactivation.

2) Blood Component Collection and Production:

Blood collection methods and devices (including apheresis);

Plasma fractionation techniques and plasma derivatives;

Preparation of labile blood components;

Inventory management;

Hematopoietic progenitor cell collection and storage;

Collection and storage of tissues;

Quality management and good manufacturing practice;

Automation and information technology.

3) Transfusion Medicine and New Therapies:

Transfusion thresholds and audits;

Haemovigilance;

Clinical trials regarding appropriate haemotherapy;

Non-infectious adverse affects of transfusion;

Therapeutic apheresis;

Support of transplant patients;

Gene therapy and immunotherapy.

4) Immunohaematology and Immunogenetics:

Autoimmunity in haematology;

Alloimmunity of blood;

Pre-transfusion testing;

Immunodiagnostics;

Immunobiology;

Complement in immunohaematology;

Blood typing reagents;

Genetic markers of blood cells and serum proteins: polymorphisms and function;

Genetic markers and disease;

Parentage testing and forensic immunohaematology.

5) Cellular Therapy:

Cell-based therapies;

Stem cell sources;

Stem cell processing and storage;

Stem cell products;

Stem cell plasticity;

Regenerative medicine with cells;

Cellular immunotherapy;

Molecular therapy;

Gene therapy.