Research
We spent a total of €4.38 million on research and product development, of which €1.78 million (41%) was covered by external funding. The net cost was 4.28% of the Blood Service’s turnover, which also included the costs of the Advanced Cell Therapy Centre, the biobank and the sample service.
Our research and product development activities focused on studying the effectiveness of the blood supply chain and cell and tissue compatibility, and on developing new products and services. Our researchers contributed to 47 peer-reviewed scientific publications and participated in a wide range of national and international expert networks in the field of Research.
Four doctoral dissertations were completed in 2025: In Finland’s first doctoral dissertation on biobank donors, Jonna Clancy showed that long-term blood donors seem to have more disease-protective gene variants than average. Annu Luostarinen developed more efficient manufacturing methods for advanced cell therapy products. Vera Raivola, on the other hand, found that blood donors are positive about the use of their samples for research and see participation in biobanks as a new way of helping others. Sanna Susila’s doctoral thesis showed that whole blood products can be an effective alternative for the initial treatment of severe bleeding. Since 1953, a total of 74 doctoral theses have been completed at the Blood Service.
The Blood Service’s new Director of Research, Associate Professor of Biochemistry Pia Siljander, took up her post at the beginning of 2025. She is an internationally recognised researcher in the field of platelets and their extracellular vesicles.
The DATA-INDUCTOR consortium research project led by the Blood Service was awarded three years of funding from Business Finland as part of Orion Corporation’s research ecosystem. Five Finnish companies and four universities are participating in the project. The project is developing modelling tools to improve the safety of drug development and the effectiveness of treatments.
The Blood Service’s research fund awarded grants totalling €170,000 to five research projects. The grants were allocated to research into blood and organ donation and to research examining the operating environment of the blood supply chain and changes therein.