Abstract

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center (CC) is the largest hospital in the world dedicated entirely to clinical research. For over 50 years, NIH scientists have been involved in the development and refinement of apheresis technology that is essential for new and emerging clinical applications of immunotherapy and personalized medicine. NIH investigators have studied the structure and function of blood cells, looking for characteristics that can be exploited to create these new and innovative therapies. Since the very beginning, NIH apheresis nurses have played a pivotal role in providing the raw materials needed for these innovations. The NIH CC Department of Transfusion Medicine (DTM) provides essential services to support investigators and patients when apheresis nurses collect Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells (HPCs), lymphocytes, platelets, plasma and granulocytes from patients and donors enrolled in clinical research protocols at NIH. While balancing patient safety needs, regulatory requirements and research protocol integrity, DTM apheresis nurses face unique challenges.

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