Do You Know How to Donate Plasma?

Plasma donation is a noble gesture. Most of the local plasma donation centers across America and Europe motivate people to volunteer and get attached to a cause. Do you want to get associated with such a gracious act? Well, then you must first get some knowledge on how to donate plasma. This is indeed the first and foremost task every donor should do. But do we actually do it? A question you must have an answer, as yes only. Surprisingly, the percentage of yes is far less than no, which is a sad situation. So, for all you plasma donors, who have little or no knowledge on how to donate plasma, here is a small but informative text.  

First thing that may help you in taking a firm decision is that it doesn’t hurt. Yes, donating plasma is a painless and quite fast process. Secondly, it is completely safe if your local plasma donation center is licensed as they are fully equipped and works under highly controlled and clean environment. Next, very important point is what all tests and investigations are to be performed on the donor? Well, the donor has to answer some questions related to your medical history, tests for some viruses like HIV and Hepatitis. Plus, your hemoglobin and protein levels are checked. Once all these tests come positive, the donation process is started. In between, your personal data is also checked, like your age which should be 18 or above, your weight should be more than 50 kg, you have to present two documents – one photo ID and SSN. After all this, you are now ready to donate your plasma.

As the process is concerned, it is as simple as donating blood. A needle is placed into your vein to take your blood out. Then plasma is separated from red blood cells and other cellular constituents. Rest of the portions (red blood cells and platelets) are injected back into the donor’s body. This entire process takes 2 hrs in total. And if you make frequent visits to your local plasma donation center it would reduce to 90 minutes. Your attempt can save so many lives. You would be amazed to know that our blood plasma contains 500 different proteins, out of which 150 can be used for diagnosing diseases. Isn’t great that we are actually contributing towards the betterment of human lives? So, do your bit and feel great satisfaction! For more details or information you can visit online at AccessClinical.com (Plasma Donation Center).

Why Human and Animal Sera Products are Necessary for Research?

The growth in supply of animal serum and animal sera products has been useful for research as well as the manufacture of vaccines, diagnostic kits and bio molecules. Serum provides hormones, growth factors, proteins, nutrients, trace elements and attachment factors which help in cell growth and development.

The safe use of serum and products derived from animals has been a concern for some time now. However, a number of animal product associations and animal technology companies have come into existence to ensure safe supply of raw materials for biological research and various other purposes. There are animal derived products, such as glands and tissues, as well as positive and negative plasma available now.

The term ‘plasma’ or ‘blood plasma’ refers to a colorless watery fluid of the lymph and blood which does not contain any cells. The major part of blood consists of plasma. In this plasma, the three major components can be found to float:

•    Red blood cells which transport oxygen
•    White cells which are a part of immune system
•    Platelets, which are coagulating (clotting) agents

Blood transfusions, or the transfer of blood or its components from one human body to another, are of plasma or platelets or red blood cells.
Approximately 90% of the plasma is made up of water. However, it also consists of nutrients, proteins, hormones and waste materials. Blood is constituted of 40% blood cells and 60% plasma.

Most cell cultures require human and animal sera products for proper growth and sustenance of suspension cells. Human serum is used for different research applications like HLA typing, immunohistochemical testing etc. Some forms of human cell need human serum to be added to the cell culture medium, instead of animal serum. Biological product companies have made positive and negative plasma available along with a host of other human products.

Various animal sera products of non-bovine variety are used as a supplement of a number of research applications and basal media. Thanks to the growth of many biological companies, a wide range of animal sera products are now available. These are collected from donor animals or abattoir and stored under aseptic conditions and even shipped in fresh or frozen states. These are tested by government authorities to find out whether they adhere to universal safety standards. These are useful to satisfy the growing needs for many research laboratories across the country and for those located in other parts of the world. Know more about this at Access Biologicals.