About the project
DONOR-PROTECT is a research project funded with a Consolidator Grant, provided by the European Research Council to Prof Katja van den Hurk, PhD. The project runs for 5 years from September 1st, 2026 to August 31st, 2031 and is built up in 6 Work Packages.
- WP1 Project Management serves as the backbone of the project, ensuring seamless coordination and timely, high-quality execution across all work packages. It oversees the supervision of the postdoc and PhD students, manages progress reporting, and drives effective dissemination of results, fostering collaboration and maintaining focus on project goals.
- WP2 PLASMA focuses on conducting a large-scale RCT on Plasma donor safety through the Assessment of Short- and long-term effects of Multiple frequencies Across diverse populations (PLASMA), in equal numbers of men and women, by assessing short- and long-term impacts on adverse clinical outcomes, biomarkers and donor health.
- WP3 BLOOD investigates how donor characteristics influence iron and red blood cell (RBC) recovery after whole blood donation. This is done by analyzing data from the INTERVAL, FORTE and PLASMA trials and Donor InSight and HELIUS cohorts to identify predictors of recovery and susceptibility to iron deficiency.
- WP4 ALGORITHMS develops novel algorithms to personalize donation schedules based on individual health metrics, building on evidence from existing literature and results from WPs 2 and 3.
- WP5 ADAPT tests and validates these schedules, or personalized donor health protection strategies, through an adaptive RCT, enabling real-time adjustments based on interim analyses.
- WP6 ELSI ensures that donor well-being remains central throughout the project, and that ethical, legal and societal aspects are carefully considered when developing and testing personalized donor health protection strategies.
