Opportunity to be part of a Public Advisory Group about the use of
laboratory grown red blood cells for transfusion
Are you one of the following groups:
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A blood donor
A person who potentially needs regular transfusions e.g. Sickle Cell disease or Thalassemia
Someone who has a family member or supports someone who needs regular transfusions
A member of the public interested in blood transfusion research?
A new Blood Transplant Research Unit (BTRU) has been launched. The Unit is a collaboration
between NHS Blood Transfusion and the Universities of Bristol, Bath, Warwick, Cambridge and the
University of West England. The Unit will focus on using stem cells to grow new red blood cells which
eventually will be used to meet the transfusion needs of patients with rare conditions such as Sickle
Cell disease and Thalassemia. The new Unit, funded by the National Institute for Health Research, is
very keen to hear what patients, donors, carers and members of the public think about these
potential new treatments. We are setting up a Public Advisory Group of about 10 people to help
with our work.
There will be the opportunity to become involved in some of the research that the Unit will be
carrying out by, for example, helping write our research ethics applications, writing the information
and consent forms that go to people who participate in our research, helping to guide laboratory
research, helping analyse data and writing up our findings for the benefit of patients, donors and
carers. We will pay expenses, and a ‘thank you’ payment for your time. You do not need previous
experience of research. We will provide appropriate training and support.
For further information please contact the convenor:
Andy Gibson on 07941 344653
or e-mail andy.gibson@uwe.ac.uk by Monday 23rd November