Poland’s Ministry of Health has chosen CaridianBCT’s Mirasol Pathogen Reduction Technologies (PRT) System to improve the safety of the country’s supply of fresh frozen plasma (FFP).
CaridianBCT is a global provider of technology, products and services in the blood banking, transfusion medicine and cell therapy industries.
The Mirasol system uses the properties of riboflavin (vitamin B2), a naturally occurring compound, and ultraviolet light to inactivate disease-causing agents including viruses, bacteria, parasites and white blood cells that may be present in blood components for transfusion.
CaridianBCT said that the Poland’s blood center, the Warsaw Blood Bank, has already begun routine use of the Mirasol system for both FFP and platelets stored in plasma. An additional seven blood centers in Poland will begin using the Mirasol system for treatment of FFP. Implementation has already begun.
Mateusz Kuczabski, vice director of The National Blood Center, said: “The National Blood Center, on behalf of the Minister of Health, coordinates the Health Program in the Republic of Poland to assure the self sufficiency of blood products and blood components. The Mirasol system was selected as an integral part of this program with the objective that safe pathogen reduced plasma could be supplied to the Polish health care system.”
Teresa Ayers, senior vice president of pathogen reduction technologies at CaridianBCT, said: “The Mirasol system gives blood centers an easy and effective means to increase the level of safety for patients receiving the life-saving gift of blood.
“We are excited to work with Poland and implement our technology that can safely and effectively reduce the infectious risks from viruses, bacteria and parasites in blood products.”