Fulfilling Demand for Particular Blood Group Types

Abstract

Disclosed is a registry for candidate transfusion donors, which invokes an inventory management policy to create and actively manage lists of candidate donors in order to minimize imbalances between demand and supply across multiple regions and across multiple categories of donors and recipients. Together with a genotyping laboratory, the registry does targeted recruitment of prospective donors who are typed for a set of genetic markers relating to clinically relevant antigens including mutations of Human Erythrocyte Antigens (HEA), genetic variants of Rh, and possibly additional antigens such as HLA and HPA. The registry monitors incoming demand for transfusion antigen genotypes, preferably stratify the demand into a set of categories representing stable subpopulations, and will apply strategies, disclosed herein, to tune the composition of candidate donor lists to match the demand, thereby avoiding excess, and unnecessary, typing of candidate donors.

1 - 18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . A method of maximizing the likelihood fulfilling a certain number of requests for specific antigen bloodtypes for distribution to a recipient population having known frequencies of occurrence of pre-selected genetic determinants of bloodtypes, comprising: selecting candidate donors from two or more populations, each said population having known frequencies of occurrence of said genetic determinants of blood type, wherein the number of candidate donors selected from each such population as a fraction of the total number of candidate donors recruited reflects said relative frequency of occurrence of said pre-selected genetic determinants among the populations, and wherein the selecting is performed by a processor and the candidate donors selected are output in a user readable format. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the frequency of occurrence of at least one pre-selected genetic determinant in the recipient population differs from that of the same genetic determinant in the candidate donor populations. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the recipient population is predominantly in one geographic location and the candidate donor populations are predominantly in another. 
     
     
         22 . A method of determining, for a donor registry which collects the bloodgroup antigen type of candidate donors and provides the identity and bloodgroup antigen type of candidate donors to customers, where different populations of candidate donors represent populations with a higher proportion of a particular bloodgroup antigen type, what proportion of donors from each population to type, comprising:
 anticipating the demand for blood products of particular bloodgroup antigen types based on analysis of historical data using a processor;   determining, using a processor and based on the anticipated demand, the number of members of the populations having a higher proportion of said particular bloodgroup antigen types to type, and outputting the number in a user readable format; and   typing said number of said members.   
     
     
         23 . A method of determining, for a donor registry which collects the bloodgroup antigen type of candidate donors and provides the identity and bloodgroup antigen type of candidate donors to customers, where different populations of candidate donors represent populations with a higher proportion of a particular bloodgroup antigen type, what proportion of donors from each population to type, comprising:
 generating, using a processor, a coefficient governing the proportion to type from different populations to type, based on anticipated demand and which, when applied, minimizes screening of candidate donors beyond those needed to satisfy the demand;   outputting the proportion of different populations to type as indicated by the coefficient, in a user readable format; and   typing the proportion of different populations as indicated by the coefficient.   
     
     
         24 . A method of determining, for a donor registry which collects the bloodgroup antigen type of candidate donors and provides the identity and bloodgroup antigen type of candidate donors to customers, where different populations of candidate donors represent populations with a higher proportion of a particular bloodgroup antigen type, what proportion of donors from each population to type, comprising:
 generating, using a processor, a coefficient governing the proportion to type from different populations to type, based on anticipated demand and which, when applied, minimizes screening of candidate donors beyond those needed to satisfy the demand;   outputting the proportion of different populations to type as indicated by the coefficient, in a user readable format;   typing the proportion of different populations as indicated by the coefficient; and   adjusting, using a processor, the coefficient to reflect fluctuations in demand for particular bloodgroup antigen types and outputting the coefficient, as adjusted, in a user readable format.   
     
     
         25 . A method of determining the ratio of candidate transfusion donors in different subpopulations, where different subpopulations have different frequency of occurrence of particular blood group antigen types, to type, in order to fill anticipated demand, where orders for transfusion units include blood group antigen type demanded but do not identify the subpopulation of the recipient, comprising:
 dividing, using a processor, the donor subpopulations on the basis of the frequency of occurrence of combinations of heterozygous alleles; and   determining, using a processor, the ratio of candidate donors from different subpopulations to type for said combinations of heterozygous alleles, where there is a known frequency of occurrence of certain of said combinations of heterozygous alleles and/or blood group antigen types in the different subpopulations, in order to fill the anticipated demand for transfusion units of particular blood group antigen types and outputting the ratio in a user readable format.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25  wherein the subpopulations are based on ethnicity. 
     
     
         27 - 36 . (canceled)