by Joe Chaffin | Mar 8, 2016
Glossary Blood Banking Blood banking refers to the processes used to collect blood and blood components, store them appropriately, and prepare them for transfusion to a patient. However, many people also use the term to refer to the scientific processes of choosing...
by Joe Chaffin | Mar 8, 2016
Glossary Bombay (Oh) Phenotype The lack of A, B, or H antigens on red blood cells and in secretions and plasma. As outlined here, the H antigen is made by adding a fucose sugar to an oligosaccharide, and that must happen before either A or B antigens can be made...
by Joe Chaffin | Mar 8, 2016
Glossary Calibration A procedure that compares results obtained by an instrument or system to a known standard. I have italicized “compares” because at its heart, calibration is just a comparison (people tend to confuse calibration with...
by Joe Chaffin | Mar 8, 2016
Glossary CD38 A membrane protein involved in mobilizing intracellular calcium, expressed on many cells (most prominently plasma cells, but also weakly on RBCs). In blood banking, CD38 is important because of the multiple myeloma drug daratumumab (DARA), approved in...
by Joe Chaffin | Mar 8, 2016
Glossary Cell Group ABO testing is a two-part process, involving testing a person’s red cells for A and/or B antigens as well as testing the person’s serum/plasma for ABO antibodies. Testing the cells is called “cell grouping” (also...
