From left to right: John Langstaff, President and CEO, Cangene Corporation; Karen Clifford, Senior Director Plasma Operations, Cangene Corporation; Cheryl Lawson, Centre Manager Cangene Plasma Resources Winnipeg, Cangene Corporation; Bill Bees, Senior Vice President Operations, Cangene Corporation; Gordon Harris, Senior Director Technical Services, Cangene Corporation

The local plasma centre, Cangene Plasma Resources Winnipeg, has recently relocated to Innovation Drive at the University of Manitoba campus from the previous Kennedy Street location downtown.

“This plasma centre actually started out at the University of Manitoba many years ago, so I think it really is great that we are able to bring this full circle and move back to the campus after all this time,” said Centre Manager, Cheryl Lawson.

“We even have some plasma donors that have been donating for over 40 years” said Lawson, “They are just amazing people.”

Human plasma, the fluid component of blood, which is collected from healthy donors, is used to create plasma protein therapies that are used to treat a range of diseases and disorders. Cangene Plasma Resources, a division of the Cangene Corporation group of companies, collects plasma for the manufacture of important hyperimmune therapeutic products. All plasma donors go though a rigorous screening process set forth by the Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada, and in addition, Cangene Plasma Resources adheres to the more stringent, voluntary screening standards set forth by the International Quality Plasma Program (iQPP).

“We are also looking forward to our new and expanded facility being able to accommodate more plasma donors from the surrounding Winnipeg community,” said Lawson.

Cangene Plasma Resources Winnipeg is recruiting qualified individuals interested in becoming plasma donors; for more information about plasma donation contact the plasma center directly at 204-275-4630 or online at http://www.cangeneplasma.com/. 

 ABOUT CANGENE PLASMA RESOURCES

Cangene Plasma Resources Winnipeg, most recently called Rh Plasma Center, is located in Winnipeg, MB and is one of the few plasma centres in all of Canada. It is part of Cangene Plasma Resources, a division of the Cangene Corporation group of companies. Cangene Corporation is one of Canada’s largest biopharmaceutical companies. Cangene was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Cangene has four Cangene Plasma Resources plasma centres, located in the United States and Canada, that are active in various plasma donation programs. For more information about Cangene Corporation visit www.cangene.com.

ABOUT PLASMA DONATION

Donating plasma is similar to donating blood but can be more frequent. Plasma is the clear, straw-coloured liquid component of blood and consists primarily of water, salts (electrolytes) and proteins. Plasma contains proteins involved with blood clotting and defending the body against infection; it is quickly replenished by the body. Plasma accounts for approximately 55 percent of whole blood.

During the plasma donation, a sterile needle is put into the donor’s vein and attached to sterile tubing. Blood goes out through the tubing into a spinning centrifuge where the blood cells are separated from the plasma. The blood cells are then returned to the donor through the same tubing and needle. A sterile saline (salt water) solution may be given to the donor intravenously after the donation to help replace the fluid removed from the body during donation. If the saline solution is not given, the body will replace the fluid naturally within 48 hours. This process of removing whole blood and separating it into its two main parts—blood cells and plasma—is called plasmapheresis. Side effects are similar to those related to donating blood.