The Adhesion of Stored Red Blood Cells to Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells

The field of transfusion medicine is dependent upon the ability to store and preserve the native functionality of red blood cells (RBCs). The subtle membrane changes that the RBC incurs during storage can result in compromised quality and diminished function upon transfusion. A custom adhesion assay was developed which was used to determine the change in red blood cell-endothelial (RBC-EC) interactions in cryopreserved and hypothermic RBCs. This thesis demonstrated an increase in RBC adherence and adherence strength due to the hypothermic storage lesion and cryoinjury. Through these analytical investigations, this thesis has provided a clearer understanding of RBC-EC interactions and have enhanced our understanding of the mechanisms involved in RBC-EC interactions. The resulting benefit of this investigation’s findings should result in a better quality product being available for transfusion which will thus benefit the field of biopreservation and transfusion medicine.