This article was originally published in the October 2023 edition of Héma-Québec’s Magazine.

Research at Héma-Québec: Past and present

In a way, Héma-Québec’s research activities began before Héma-Québec ever existed! That’s because its predecessor, the Red Cross in Québec, inaugurated its first research lab in 1983, helping the organization make the most of scientific breakthroughs in immunohematology and transfusion medicine.

The research team only had two people when it first started, but they’ve never stopped growing. They fi rst made their mark developing methods for producing monoclonal antibodies used to establish donors’ blood types. In1994, some of the team decided to set up shop at the Red Cross headquarters in Ottawa to expand certain activities, such as the production of monoclonal antibody‑based reagents, while others stayed in Québec to make sure research continued there. Then came the tainted blood scandal, which caused the Canadian Red Cross Society to wash its hands of transfusion medicine entirely.

Héma‑Québec was founded in 1998, at a time when everyone was on the lookout for threats as well as medical and scientific breakthroughs. A recurring operational budget was allocated to research and development, marking the return of the Ottawa group and the creation of permanent positions to maintain research continuity.

“A lot has happened in forty years in R&D, first at the Red Cross, and then with Héma-Québec,” says Renée Bazin, scientific director for the office of the Vice President, Medical Affairs and Innovation (and member of the research team since 1983!). “Name changes, reorgs, major projects, we’ve seen it all! But the one constant in everything has been the research mandate. No matter how it was phrased, it’s always been the same: innovating in support of the organization’s operations. It’s our mission, but above all, it’s our passion!”

So what are these major projects? Well, there was the internal creation of a test to detect the presence of West Nile Virus in the blood in 2003. There was the launch in 2007 of a program for genotyping blood donors. Between 2012 and 2017, there were ambitious efforts to standardize the manufacture of cellular and tissue products. Then, there was the development in 2013 of a procedure for producing plasminogen drops for treating ligneous conjunctivitis, a disease that can lead to blindness. And there were the studies on the seroprevalence of COVID-19, the first phase of which was launched in 2020, leading to the creation of the PlasCov biobank the following year.

Today, the research division includes 6 researchers, 3 specialists, 1 project advisor, 19 research professionals and a team of 6 people overseeing research services. Every year, this passionate team is joined by students looking to soak up the team’s expertise and knowledge to better their own abilities. After all, training the next generation is also one of the missions of Héma-Québec’s researchers! In 25 years, several hundred interns have gotten the opportunity to learn from Héma-Québec’s best, along with 43 master’s students, 13 Ph.D. students and 11 postdoctoral researchers.

As you can see, the team may have lofty goals, but they’re more than up to the challenge!