January 22, 2026- QuidelOrtho Corporation has released episode 55 of its Science Bytes podcast, featuring Michelle Mullens, Global Portfolio Marketing Manager for Transfusion Medicine. With decades of experience in blood banking and immunohematology, Mullens shares insights into the pressures on today’s blood supply and the importance of consistent donor engagement.
Key insights:
- Everyday and climate-driven emergencies strain supply: Routine trauma, traffic injuries and increasingly frequent weather events create unpredictable demand for blood products
- Universal types face rising pressure: Growth in prehospital low-titer whole blood programs accelerates consumption of O-type units, requiring more targeted donor recruitment and precise inventory management
- Automation strengthens resilience: Standardized, high-throughput immunohematology platforms enhance safety, ensure operational continuity during surges and enable staff to focus on complex cases
- All donors matter: Every blood type plays a vital role in supporting both direct transfusion needs and the diagnostic reagents that make safe transfusion possible
In this episode, Mullens and host Josh Casey explore how evolving clinical practices, climate disruptions and persistent background demand shape the modern blood supply. They highlight the interconnected ecosystem linking donors, diagnostics and patient care, and why dependable, year-round donations are essential to maintaining safety across the healthcare continuum.
The QuidelOrtho Science Bytes podcast is available on major streaming platforms and at: https://www.quidelortho.com/us/en/resources/podcasts/quidelortho-science-bytes.
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