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KUNC is here to keep you up-to-date on the news about COVID-19 — the disease caused by the novel coronavirus — Colorado's response to its spread in our state and its impact on Coloradans.

Colorado Researchers Zap Coronavirus In Donated Blood, Making Transfusions Safer

Courtesy Izabela Ragan

Scientists at Colorado State University have developed a way to make sure blood transfusions don't transmit the COVID-19 virus, according to a new study.

 

Blood donation centers ask people not to come in if they feel sick or have a fever, but there's still the risk that a donor's blood could carry the virus, and for the most part it's not possible to test every donor for COVID-19. 

And while it's not clear if the virus can be transmitted by blood transfusion, CSU researchers created a process that " eliminated a huge amount" of the virus in blood using the vitamin riboflavin and ultraviolet light. 

"It inactivates and can reduce the pathogen load in blood products, whether that be whole blood, platelets or plasma," said Izabela Ragan, a postdoctoral researcher at CSU.

Ragan said the technique is relatively inexpensive. If it's used in hospitals or blood centers, she said, it could provide a layer of assurance that donated blood does not carry the COVID-19 virus. 

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Montana, KUNC in Colorado, KUNM in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Copyright 2020 Boise State Public Radio News. To see more, visit Boise State Public Radio News.

Amanda Peacher is an Arthur F. Burns fellow reporting and producing in Berlin in 2013. Amanda is from Portland, Oregon, where she works as the public insight journalist for Oregon Public Broadcasting. She produces radio and online stories, data visualizations, multimedia projects, and facilitates community engagement opportunities for OPB's newsroom.
Amanda Peacher
Amanda Peacher works for the Mountain West News Bureau out of Boise State Public Radio. She's an Idaho native who returned home after a decade of living and reporting in Oregon. She's an award-winning reporter with a background in community engagement and investigative journalism.
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