Dr. Donald R. Branch’s work as a discovery scientist at Canadian Blood Services focuses on immunotherapy, seeking to further enhance understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in autoimmune diseases. Based in Toronto, Dr. Branch’s laboratory develops models of rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and multiple sclerosis in mice. These models are particularly useful in examining how cells affected by these conditions respond to current therapeutic agents like intravenous immunoglobulin – a blood product made from human plasma commonly known as IVIg – and investigating potential alternative therapeutics.  

Over the years, Dr. Branch’s lab research findings have included the discovery of a special reagent that makes identification of antibodies easier by “zapping" autoantibodies,  answers around unexpected side effects of IVIg therapy, and insights around recipients’ responses to bone marrow transplantation. It has also earned him numerous awards and accolades, including four from AABB, the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies.

New knowledge about neutrophils

Recently, contributions from Dr. Branch’s lab helped a U.K.-based team of researchers discover new information about how neutrophil function and activity is regulated. Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell that are part of the body’s normal immune response. A person’s neutrophil levels may be affected by infections as well as chronic or acute illnesses. Patients who have very low neutrophil counts and/or persistent infections may receive a boost to their neutrophil levels via granulocyte transfusion therapy. However, in some diseases, overactivation of neutrophils can also create an inflammatory environment and harm healthy tissue.

The research has been published in the high-impact scientific journal, Nature. This publication has filled a gap in knowledge about the mechanisms involved in maintaining balance between neutrophils’ infection-fighting power and inflammation-causing potential. As Dr. Branch describes: “This research by Dr. Brown and team shows that the myeloid inhibitory C-type lectin enzyme, which is known as MICL, controls neutrophil activity in rheumatoid arthritis. It is likely that MICL also regulates neutrophil activity in general. This suggests that if therapeutics can be designed to target MICL, they may be useful in controlling inflammation and infection. It is a fundamental finding that will change our understanding of the biology of neutrophils.”  

Discovery research, like the study to which Don and Ruqayyah contributed, is essential to improving patient care in the long run. New biomedical insights are essential to crafting new drugs and new therapeutic approaches in a rational way.

Dr. William (Bill) Sheffield, Canadian Blood Services senior scientist and associate director of research

Discovery research expertise leads to new collaboration  

The special mouse model that Dr. Branch’s lab uses is known as K/BxN. In this model, two mouse populations are selectively bred to produce offspring whose genetic material carry an antibody that destroys bone cartilage. An arthritis-causing serum containing this destructive antibody can then be obtained from the mice for use as a reagent in research. This process is termed “serum-transfer arthritis” and has been used by many investigators in the study of treatments that may alleviate the condition. 

Knowledge of Dr. Branch’s lab’s expertise in this area prompted a connection to the team of researchers at the Universities of Exeter and Aberdeen in the U.K. for this study. Says Dr. Branch, “In 2021, I supported a successful application to Canadian Blood Services’ Blood Efficiency Accelerator Program (BEAP) by Dr. Maria Fernandes, a researcher from  Héma-Québec who works with neutrophils. Through this collaboration, Dr. Fernandes was aware that I work on rheumatoid arthritis with K/BxN mice, and she also knew that Dr. Gordon Brown in the U.K. was looking to collaborate with a researcher in this area for some planned neutrophil research. My lab, which included postdoctoral fellow Dr. Ruqayyah Almizraq at the time, contributed to Dr. Brown’s research by providing the sera from our K/BxN mice. With this sera, Dr. Brown and his collaborators were able to induce rheumatoid arthritis and show that it could be resolved by removing the inhibition of a specific enzyme.”  

Science that is never boring

The Branch lab is currently using these same mouse models to investigate whether a recombinant protein called IgG1 Fc hexamer could be an effective replacement for IVIg in the treatment of autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and ITP. While early results are promising, continued work is needed. In fact, back in 2018, Dr. Branch was asked in a previous R.E.D. blog post to describe what he found to be the most exciting part of science. Reflecting on the same question now, he reiterates that his response still rings true after 50 years in the field:   

The most exciting part of science is that when you do good science, you get more questions than you get answers, which means it is never boring. There is no end to imagination; new ideas, theories, experiments and discoveries occur often and provide a level of excitement to which many other professions cannot attest.

Dr. Donald (Don) Branch, Canadian Blood Services senior scientist

Canadian Blood Services – Driving world-class innovation 

Through discovery, development and applied research, Canadian Blood Services drives world-class innovation in blood transfusion, cellular therapy and transplantation—bringing clarity and insight to an increasingly complex healthcare future. Our dedicated research team and extended network of partners engage in exploratory and applied research to create new knowledge, inform and enhance best practices, contribute to the development of new services and technologies, and build capacity through training and collaboration. Find out more about our research impact.   

The opinions reflected in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Canadian Blood Services nor do they reflect the views of Health Canada or any other funding agency. 

Dr. Melika Loriamini! 

This new award, in honour of Dr. Dana Devine, supports early career scientists in a field related to transfusion science and medicine, blood banking and blood biotherapies. It is awarded in collaboration with the Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine’s at their annual conference. 

“I truly appreciate the Committee for the recognition and I'm so proud that I'm the first person to win the Dana Devine Award,” Dr. Loriamini says. “When I walked into the conference, I felt like I was famous because everyone knew who I was. It was a great feeling that all the work, all the hard work, during these years that I did, it's now acknowledged, and everyone knows it.” 

Dr. Loriamini began her career in medical laboratory science in Iran, obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree before immigrating to Canada. She completed a second Bachelor’s degree, this time in biomedical science from York University, and went on to enroll in the laboratory medicine and pathobiology PhD program at the University of Toronto. While completing her education, Dr. Loriamini worked as a Medical Laboratory Technologist at LifeLabs and the William Osler Hospital. 

As part of her PhD, Dr. Loriamini worked with Canadian Blood Services Senior Scientist Dr. Donald Branch which she says allowed her to “acquire expertise in the fields of transfusion medicine and immunology and we were able to publish various articles.” 

In fact, it was Dr. Branch who first sent her the application for the award and told her he thought she was a strong candidate. 

“I want to say thanks to Dr. Branch, who was my supervisor. Actually, thank you is not enough,” Dr. Loriamini says. “He taught me how to think as a scientist and how to become a scientist. I truly appreciate him. He always trusted me.” 

Dr. Loriamini’s research focused on developing a new drug to help people who have autoimmune cytopenias — a cluster of conditions which causes your immune system to attack your own healthy blood cells. She was able to identify a potential drug which is expected to undergo clinical trials in the future.

In addition to receiving the Canadian Blood Services Dana Devine Award, Dr. Loriamini has also been recognized with the Canadian Blood Services Graduate Fellowship Program award in 2019 and 2021, the AABB Outstanding Abstract Award for Trainees as a Fellow/Post-Doctoral Student in 2022, the SGS travel award from the University of Toronto in 2022, the Best Poster for Translation/Basic research award from Hematology Academic Day in 2023, and the Best Poster for Infectious Diseases, Inflammation, and Immunology award from the 2023-Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology Research Conference. 

Dr. Loriamini is now a Clinical Practice Leader at Humber River Health in Toronto which allows her to bring her research to a clinical setting. Congratulations Dr. Melika Loriamini! 

Canadian Blood Services – Driving world-class innovation

Through discovery, development and applied research, Canadian Blood Services drives world-class innovation in blood transfusion, cellular therapy and transplantation—bringing clarity and insight to an increasingly complex healthcare future. Our dedicated research team and extended network of partners engage in exploratory and applied research to create new knowledge, inform and enhance best practices, contribute to the development of new services and technologies, and build capacity through training and collaboration. Find out more about our research impact.  

The opinions reflected in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Canadian Blood Services nor do they reflect the views of Health Canada or any other funding agency.

Dr. John Blake is a research engineer at Canadian Blood Services and a Professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Dalhousie University. Based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Dr. Blake and his trainees use engineering principles and various computer-based optimization techniques to inform large scale decisions at Canadian Blood Services.  

Applying network modelling to biologics  

To some, it may be surprising to learn that there is such opportunity to integrate engineering into the health-care focused setting of Canadian Blood Services. However, as Dr. Blake explains, the same engineering principles that apply to the development and quality assurance of other products also apply to biologics such as blood, stem cells and organs. One of these classic engineering approaches currently applied to improving operations at Canadian Blood Services is network modelling.  

Network modelling is a computer-based method that creates a virtual representation of objects and their relation to each other. The resulting models are particularly useful for maintaining adaptability in the collection of blood donations, as well as the distribution and inventory management strategies that allow Canadian Blood Services to remain a safe and reliable provider of life-saving products. 

Contributing to efficiency and sustainability in Canada’s Lifeline  

For Dr. Blake’s team, modelling is not about the data acquired but rather how they can turn existing data into real life change. Part of this approach is ensuring that Canadian Blood Services is asking the right questions when it comes to allocating resources. For example, Dr. Blake has worked on models to assess how changing stem cell donor recruitment will affect the number of matches for Canadian patients. By modelling things such as recruitment approaches, Dr. Blake’s work assists Canadian Blood Services to consistently identify ways to improve Canada’s Lifeline.

Recently, Dr. Blake has also been applying this method to optimize the number and location of mobile and permanent donor facilities across the nation. This redesign of the donation facility network will address the growing demand for donations by bringing Canadian Blood Services’ facilities closer to the donors. 

“I have waited my entire career for a problem of this type – it is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Dr. John Blake, Canadian Blood Services Research Engineer

Securing the future of Canada’s Lifeline  

To sustain a safe and effective blood system in Canada for years to come, network modelling and optimization is a never-ending process. This is one of the reasons that Dr. Blake is committed to securing the future of transfusion and transplantation systems by training and mentoring the next generation of engineers. In fact, seeing his former students join Canadian Blood Services and dedicate their talents to improving the future of Canada’s Lifeline is one of Dr. Blake’s proudest achievements.  

One of Dr. Blake’s former students, Matt Nelson, is now an industrial engineer at Canadian Blood Services.  

“In my role, I use systematic thinking to build and run complex models; collect and analyze the required data; produce useful results; and explain these results to non-technical leaders on a regular basis,” Matt says. Recently, Matt contributed to the launch and expansion of pathogen-reduced platelets, a new product that was implemented across Canadian Blood Services production sites starting in 2022. The implementation of pathogen-reduced platelets has provided an additional layer of safety for recipients by reducing the risk of potential transfusion-transmitted pathogens without compromising the quality of the component. Matt credited Dr. Blake in helping him develop the necessary skills he now dedicates to safeguarding Canada’s Lifeline:  

“Dr. Blake was the professor who introduced me to the uses of simulation to understand complex non-linear systems. This type of system is very common in situations that have a lot of variability – like the blood system – and simulation allows for exploration of the response of the system to changes.” 

Matt Nelson, Canadian Blood Services Industrial Engineer

Over the years, Dr. Blake’s ongoing modelling work and mentorship activities have also led to many recognitions and awards, but he is most proud of being recognized as Professor of the Year by Dalhousie Undergraduate students, and with awards for his contributions to the Canadian Operational Research Society. He has even the earned the distinction of being Dalhousie’s first engineer to be awarded grant funding from the tri-council agency, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). 

“I am proud to work on projects that have a measurable impact on people’s health and well-being,” Dr. Blake says. “I am forever grateful to Dr. Dana Devine for first giving me the opportunity to serve Canadians in this role at Canadian Blood Services.” 

Canadian Blood Services – Driving world-class innovation

Through discovery, development and applied research, Canadian Blood Services drives world-class innovation in blood transfusion, cellular therapy and transplantation—bringing clarity and insight to an increasingly complex healthcare future. Our dedicated research team and extended network of partners engage in exploratory and applied research to create new knowledge, inform and enhance best practices, contribute to the development of new services and technologies, and build capacity through training and collaboration. Find out more about our research impact.   

The opinions reflected in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Canadian Blood Services nor do they reflect the views of Health Canada or any other funding agency.