Advancing Blood Safety: The Future of Plasticizers in Blood Collection & Storage

Blood safety remains one of the most critical priorities in transfusion medicine, and on May 14, Macopharma partnered with AABB to bring this conversation to a global audience. The educational webinar, “Advancing Blood Safety: The Evolving Science & Future of Plasticizers in Blood Collection & Storage,” explored one of the industry’s most important ongoing transformations: the transition away from DEHP in blood bag systems.
The response from the global transfusion medicine community exceeded expectations, confirming just how central blood safety has become to organizations worldwide.

A Global Conversation on Blood Safety

The numbers speak for themselves:

• 941 registrations from professionals around the world
• 461 live attendees, with participants from 69 countries, 40 represented live
• An average live engagement of over 50 minutes — a high retention rate for a scientific webinar

The audience brought together professionals from blood centers, hospitals, regulators, industry leaders, and academic institutions, including organizations such as Vitalant, Canadian Blood Services, the American Red Cross, the FDA, the New York Blood Center, NMDP, and Terumo. This level of engagement reflects how seriously the industry is approaching the future of transfusion safety.

Program Highlights

The scientific program brought together a distinguished international faculty, guiding the audience from clinical evidence to real-world implementation and regulatory strategy.

Plasticizer Exposure and Transfusion Safety: Clinical and Toxicological Evidence Dr. Ralph R. Vassallo, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical & Scientific Officer at Vitalant, opened the discussion by examining the clinical implications of DEHP exposure, toxicological concerns, vulnerable patient populations, and current evidence gaps relevant to blood safety.

Mechanistic Role of Plasticizers in RBC Storage and Design of Non-DEHP Systems Quentin Brebant, R&D Manager at Macopharma, took a deep dive into the material science behind blood storage systems, explaining why replacing DEHP is far more complex than a simple material substitution — and the engineering challenges involved in designing next-generation blood bags.

In Vitro Quality of RBC and Plasma Units in DEHT-Based Blood Bag Systems: A Franco-Belgian Comparative Study Dr. Anaïs Lotens and Nadine Marpaux presented translational and operational data from a collaboration between the Belgian Red Cross and the French Blood Establishment, offering real-world insight into how DEHT-based systems perform under routine blood center conditions.

Navigating the Transition Beyond DEHP in the United States: Regulatory, Policy, and Supply Considerations Susan N. Leppke, Vice President of Government Affairs at America’s Blood Centers, closed the program with an overview of the evolving U.S. regulatory environment, global policy pressures, and the operational implications facing blood centers as they move beyond DEHP.

The session was moderated by Dr. Claudia S. Cohn, Chief Medical Officer of AABB, who framed the entire discussion around one central message:

This is not about bags, this is about patients.

Why This Matters for Blood Safety

Together, the speakers delivered a comprehensive look at how science, engineering, and regulation intersect to shape the future of blood safety. As the industry continues its transition away from DEHP, collaborative initiatives like this one are essential to ensure that decisions are guided by solid clinical evidence, rigorous material science, and a shared commitment to patient wellbeing.

Watch the Replay

Missed the live session? The full webinar replay is now available, along with short-form highlights covering each key topic.

🎥 Full Replay:

🎬 Highlight Shorts: youtube playlist link

Macopharma remains committed to advancing transfusion safety through innovation, scientific collaboration, and industry dialogue.
Learn more about our NON DEHP solution : DEHP-FREE Vision