Innovation and New Products Working Group
Jointly develop innovative blood products, processes, and services in accordance with patients’ and societal needs.
The Innovation and New Products Working Group focuses on the development of innovative blood products, processes, and services, with an emphasis on harmonization and knowledge sharing among EBA members.
Objectives and activities
The objectives of the Innovation and New Products Working Group are to:
- Jointly develop innovative blood products, processes, and services according to patients’ and societal needs.
- Harmonize these products and processes where possible.
- Share knowledge on innovations and practical experiences in the process of innovation.
The working group achieves its objectives by:
- Sharing information among members.
- Collaborating on specific projects selected by the working group members, ideally from inception to market introduction.
- Advocacy with the support of the EBA advocacy officer, such as contacting the EU commission and competent authorities.
The working group comprises EBA member representatives and encourages multidisciplinary collaboration. It also facilitates subgroups focused on specific product or process innovations, including:
- Transition to non-DEHP (led by Thomas Klei, Netherlands)
- Components for major hemorrhage (led by Torunn Oveland Apelseth, Norway)
- Platelet lysate as support for ATMPs (led by Ana Paula Sousa, Portugal)
The Innovation and New Products Working Group holds an annual meeting and ad hoc meetings as required, with a preference for teleconferences to minimize costs and environmental impact. The group shares its results and plans with all EBA members and collaborates with other EBA working groups to optimize cooperation and avoid overlap.
Key People
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Ólafur Eysteinn Sigurjónsson, The Blood Bank, Landspitali- University Hospital/ Reykjavik University, Iceland
Working Group Chair
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Torunn Apelseth, Norway
Working Group Co-Chair
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Read bioDirk de Korte, Sanquin, Netherlands
B:10 June 1955 - D: 22 March 2024 Working Group Founder
Dirk de Korte, PhD, a distinguished biochemist and transfusion medicine researcher, died March 22 2024. He was 68.
De Korte spent most of his four-decade career at Sanquin, the agency responsible for the collection and distribution of blood in the Netherlands, where he led pioneering research to advance the field’s understanding of blood product storage and processing methods. In particular, his work on pathogen-reduction technology, cold storage of platelets, bacterial contamination and the impact of plastic components on blood products helped improve the lives of countless patients receiving blood components.
De Korte was a longstanding member of several prestigious organizations in the transfusion community, including the BEST Collaborative, ISBT and the European Blood Alliance. He published more than 300 papers throughout his career.