About the group

Department of immunology and transfusion medicine is responsible for blood donated at the Oslo Blood bank, and is concerned with all aspects of donor health, recruitment, retention and selection of blood donors, optimal storage and quality of the red cell, platelet and plasma products.

Therapeutic use of blood products (convalescence plasma, plasma and red blood cell exchange) is also a field of study. We have been studying immunomodulatory substances from edible medicinal mushrooms as add-on treatment in clinical trials to explore effects in patients with inflammatory conditions in airways, such as rhinoconjunctivitis and allergic asthma.

Aims/project plan

  • Health, recruitment, retention and selection of blood and plasma donors.
  • Response to covid-19 and covid-vaccination in blood and plasma donors.
  • Allergy and immunomodulatory effects of dietary supplements in blood donors, transfused and allergic patients.
  • Plasma exchange to delay cognitive deterioration in early dementia.
  • Development and improvement of blood products for treatment of patients.
  • Heart to heart - blood donor communication and future blood donor registry research (BLODoNOR). 

Projects

  • Improved platelet products for hemotherapy of HLA-alloimmunized, platelet-refractory patients: platelets made HLA class I deficient by acid treatment.
  • Freeze-drying of platelets products for treatment of difficult diabetic wounds.
  • Immunomodulating effects of the mushroom extract, AndosanTM, in asthma patients and monitoring with a novel basophil leucocyte activation test for allergens. 
  • Effects of frequent plasmapheresis on donor health.
  • Donor health: is it safe for blood donors using antihypertensive medication affecting the angiotensin system to donate blood products with apheresis technique.
  • Donor studies in collaboration with the ADDITION MCI project.
  • Establish a consent-based blood donor registry and general research biobank of blood donor material (BLODoNOR).

International Collaborations

  • Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
  • Euroimmun Medical Laboratory, Lübeck, Germany
  • University of Milano, Italy

Selected publications

  • Haugen M, Nissen-Meyer LSH, Strand TA, Magnussen K (2025) The effect of plasma donation frequency on total serum protein, immunoglobulin G and donor safety: A non-inferiority randomized controlled trial. Vox Sang (in press), DOI 10.1111/vox.70105, PubMed 40876898
  • Mahmood F, Hetland G, Mirlashari MR, Nissen-Meyer LSH (2025). IgE sensitization profiles to food, inhalant and insect venom in Norwegian blood donors and their impact on blood transfusions. Scand J Immunol, 101 (1), e13425. DOI 10.1111/sji.13425, PubMed 39648460.
  • Nguyen NT, Titze TL, Nissen-Meyer LSH (2024)
    Evaluation of transfusion reactions in patients following transfusion of blood components containing antibodies to HLA class I - An attempt to prevent TRALI in patients. Transfus Apher Sci, 63 (4), 10397. DOI 10.1016/j.transci.2024.103970, PubMed 38964256.
  • Haugen M, Magnussen K, Aarsland TE, Nissen-Meyer LSH, Strand TA (2024). The effect of donation frequency on donor health in blood donors donating plasma by plasmapheresis: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials, 25 (1), 175. DOI 10.1186/s13063-024-08035-7, PubMed 38468338.
  • Mahmood F, Nissen-Meyer LSH, Hetland G, Nentwich I (2023)
    Assessing IgE sensitization profiles to birch and timothy grass pollen allergens in birch pollen allergic blood donors using an oligoplex specific IgE assay. Scand J Clin Lab Invest, 83 (7), 444-447. DOI 10.1080/00365513.2023.2255972, PubMed 37737679.
  • Nissen-Meyer LSH, Steinsvåg TT, Fenstad MH, Sørvoll IH, Hvalryg M, Titze TL, Magnussen K, Kristoffersen G, Johnsen KMN, Llohn AH, Hermundstad B, Høiback LS, Haugen M, Kristoffersen EK, Boulland LML, Kran AB, Lund-Johansen F, Vaage JT, Flesland Ø, Hervig TA (2023). Convalescent plasma from Norwegian blood donors to treat COVID-19
    Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen, 143 (11). DOI 10.4045/tidsskr.22.0180, PubMed 37589362.
  • Nissen-Meyer LSH, Macpherson ME, Skeie LG, Hvalryg M, Llohn AH, Steinsvåg TT, Fenstad MH, Tveita A, Kristoffersen EK, Sundic T, Lund-Johansen F, Vaage JT, Flesland Ø, Dyrhol-Riise AM, Holter JC, Hervig TA, Fevang B (2023). COVID-19 patients treated with convalescent plasma. Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen, 143 (11). DOI 10.4045/tidsskr.22.0577, PubMed 37589359. 
  • Mirlashari MR, Vetlesen A, Nissen-Meyer LSH, Hetland G (2023)
    Effects of storage on quality and function of acid-treated platelets with reduced HLA Class I surface expression. Transfus Med, 33 (4), 329-336. DOI 10.1111/tme.12983, PubMed 37356816.
  • Johnsen KMN, Magnussen K, Erstad C, Bhatti SN, Nissen-Meyer LSH (2023)
    Safe Blood Donation from Donors Using Antihypertensive Medication. A Multi-Center Retrospective Quality Study from South-East Norway. J Blood Med, 14, 337-343. DOI 10.2147/JBM.S390609, PubMed 37163174.