The first donor in Wales to donate plasma through the Welsh Blood Service’s new ‘plasmapheresis’ process is calling on other males who have recovered from COVID-19 to consider donating their plasma to support medical trials. Clinical trials are currently underway to explore if the antibody-rich plasma of recovered Covid-19 patients could be used in the treatment of hospital patients that are unwell with the virus. Andrew Thomas, a police officer for South Wales Police, was the first donor in Wales…

Nick Topley, 59 and his team have finished 5th in the men’s category in the Balearic triathlon, last month. Earlier this year, he competed in the British Transplant Games in Newport and won a silver medal in the Time Trial (in his age group), the only Team Wales cycling medal. In 2016, the Barry resident got together with two friends, who are 67 and 69, and founded the “Old Man’s Coffee Club” to participate in triathlons and raise awareness about Blood…

  An advanced cell therapy clinical trial called “Salamander” has been launched at University Hospital of Wales to help prevent limb amputations and reduce severe pain for diabetic patients by stimulating blood vessel growth. It is a European study aiming to recruit hundreds of patients and lasting two years. The Welsh Blood Service, along with Cardiff and Vale University Health Board are part of the consortium, running the study. (Midlands-Wales Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre (MW-ATTC, comprising Birmingham, Wales and Nottingham)…