(P-BC-42) Manufacture of Rabbit Whole Blood Units and Rabbit Blood Banking  

Rabbit models are crucial in translational science, particularly for in vivo resuscitation studies. The objective of this study was to create a rabbit blood bank that meets transfusion requirements, including donor selection criteria, blood typing, and storage quality. The study crafted blood crossmatching protocols to ensure compatibility and evaluated storage lesions within the units by monitoring its coagulation profile, platelet function, and hemolysis following the typical human units that allow further translational experiments on this units.

Study

Design/Methods: New Zealand White Rabbit blood units (n=44) were collected through direct cardiac exsanguination in 24% CPDA solution and stored at 4°C. Complete blood count (CBC) followed by recalcification with 1M CaCl2 1/100 vol/vol prior to rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM), & collagen agonist impedance aggregometry (IA) measurements were taken to assess the storage lesion over three weeks. Immunoglobulin M (IgM) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) crossmatching experiments (n=15) unique rabbit blood samples acquired from INVIGO in conical tubes with EDTA) were conducted to verify blood compatibility. This was performed by labeling rabbits using letters (A-O) followed by poor platelet plasma production and red blood cells washing of each individual rabbit, followed by the agglutination inspection graded as 0 if null to 4 for high grade agglutination

Results/Findings: After three weeks, there was no significant change in the platelet count, hemoglobin & hematocrit. However, results on INTEM, EXTEM & the IA area under the curve showed a significant decrease after 21 days significantly decreased compared to day 0 (Fig 1). Crossmatching experiments suggest variability within the colony, due to agglutination reactions (of 0.952% IgM and 2.86% IgG) between mixed samples of rabbit whole blood and plasma

Conclusions: We have established a methodology for manufacturing whole blood rabbit units and established a rabbit blood bank tailored to specific transfusion requirements in translational research. Changes on rabbit whole blood during storage show comparable parameters as previously described with human blood units making this model suitable for translational experiments.