Unused Samples from Clinical Blood Draws as a Resource for Maximizing Research Samples while Mitigating Iatrogenic...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Research
• Clinical Pathology
• Translational Science

Background:

• Large-scale translational research demands substantial blood volumes.
• Clinical blood draws for patient management must take priority.
• Significant portions of clinically drawn blood remain unused.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a method for retrieving and recycling unused clinical blood samples for research.
• To assess the feasibility of augmenting research blood sample volumes from clinical waste.

Main Methods:

• Collected unused blood samples (plasma, serum, RBCs, PBMCs) from clinical labs over 60 days.
• Retrieved samples >12 hours old, de-identified, and processed them in a central biorepository.
• Compared sample yields from recycled clinical samples versus dedicated research draws.

Main Results:

• Recycled clinical samples yielded a minimum of 6.0 ml plasma daily (62% of total plasma).
• Serum recovery was limited (8% of total serum) and inconsistent.
• Peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) recovery was also infrequent (10% of days).

Conclusions:

• Overdrawn clinical blood samples are a valuable, untapped resource for research.
• Recycling clinical samples can augment research blood volumes and minimize iatrogenic blood loss.
• Strategic planning enables efficient utilization of clinical blood waste for research.