What can your blood do?
Three of the nation’s largest blood centers – Vitalant, OneBlood and the American Red Cross – are conducting a pilot study that could lead to a significant change to blood donor eligibility for men who have sex with men.
This groundbreaking study is called ADVANCE, or Assessing Donor Variability And New Concepts in Eligibility. The study, funded by the FDA, is taking place in cities across the country, including Memphis, Tennessee.
Researchers need gay/bi men ages 18-39 years old in the Memphis area who are interested in becoming a blood donor.
The study will determine whether a different donor policy can be used at blood centers nationwide while maintaining the safety of the blood supply. For this to be possible, a change would need to be made to the donor history questionnaire, and this study is the first step in assessing the safety of a change.
The donor history questionnaire features questions that all potential blood donors must answer before donating. The questions are written to assess risk factors that could indicate a possible infection with a transfusion transmissible infection, including HIV.
Participants can earn up to $85 for being a part of the study.
To learn more and to sign up for the study, visit the ADVANCE Study website.