SBIR-STTR Award

Principal aims are to test the applicability, acceptability and commercial feasibility of implementation and further development of an interactive multimedia video blood/plasma donor health history system in operational settings. They will be achieved by progressive integration of the system into the donation and data management process and by stepwise increases in sophistication of the system. Benefits anticipated are improvement in: 1. overall performance of operational systems for screening blood/plasma donors and collecting blood products, and 2. the safety of blood and plasma supplies. Achievements will be attained in stages beginning with updating, testing and installation of Talisman's 1993 pilot tested stand-alone system. The Talisman multimedia system acquired the first ever marketing clearance from regulators on 12/5/97. Development will proceed according to the plan for SBIR Phase Il to be constructed based on cost-benefit analyses during Phase l. The tentative end point objective for Phase Il is a paperless collection system and enhanced functionality for the screening system. Other parts of the plan will address measures of benefits and costs and development of a production regulatory compliant Quality System. When completed the system will address up to 40% of blood banking costs and 60% of reportable errors.Proposed Commercial Applications:With over 25,000,000 annual US blood and plasma donations, and three or four times this market world wide, depending on how potential implementers value benefits, the system could be worth tens of millions of dollars. If the system were successful in preventing just one donation that ultimately resulted in a product recall from entering a plasma pool, the value to the manufacturer could be in excess of $1,000,000.

Thesaurus Terms:
blood donor, communicable disease control, computer assisted instruction, computer program /software, computer system design /evaluation, interactive multimedia, mass screening blood bank, case history, communicable disease diagnosis, computer processing of clinical data, data management, videotape /videodisc

Talisman's long term objective is to develop a fully integrated, automated blood donor processing system that will be the industry standard for quality, safety and cost-effectiveness. Aims of Phase II research are: 1) expand Talisman's current multimedia interactive video donor health history screening system into a fully integrated, automated donor processing system, 2) successfully implement the resultant system in three blood centers, 3) evaluate the system's commercial potential, and 4) assess its societal impacts. Research design and methods involve sequential design, development, testing and validation of computer based modules for all donor processing functions from registration, through screening and checkout. The research includes analysis of donors, staff and management reactions to the system, determination of the system's net cost-benefits, assessment of its domestic and foreign commercial potential, and evaluation of the system's capability of enhancing blood safety and increasing blood availability. The most innovative aspects of the research are the development and validation of a series of decision algorithms for determining donor suitability based on donor information regarding prior donation history, key health and behavioral characteristics, and outcome from a mini physical. The completed system will address 40% of blood banking costs and 60% of reportable errors. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: With 25,000,000 annual US blood and plasma donations, and three or four times this market world wide, depending on automation cost savings and how potential implementers value benefits, the system could be worth tens of millions of dollars. If the system were successful in preventing just one donation that ultimately resulted in a product recall from entering a plasma pool, the value to the manufacturer could be in excess of $1,000,000.

Thesaurus Terms:
blood bank /supply contamination, blood donor, computer processing of clinical data, computer program /software, computer system design /evaluation, interactive multimedia, mass screening audiotape, blood bank, case history, communicable disease control, communicable disease diagnosis, computer assisted instruction, data management, patient /disease registry, videotape /videodisc human subject