Clinical Immunology

Business & Production

South Danish Transfusion Service is responsible for collecting, processing, testing, distributing, storing and issuing blood and blood components in the Region of Southern Denmark according to the Danish regulations implementing EUs blood directives. The service comprises responsibility for all pre-transfusion testing in the region. Approximately 34,000 units of whole blood are collected per year. The organization runs a plasmapheresis program collection with approximately 46,000 collections per year. In total 41 tons plasma (recovered and source) are delivered yearly for further manufacturing to medicinal products (albumin and immunoglobulin) for Danish patients.

As a blood establishment, the department is regularly inspected by the competent authorities (The Danish Patient Safety Agency and The Danish Medicines Agency) as well as the plasma fractionator, currently CSL Behring.

South Danish Tissue Center (EU number DK257550) is responsible for collecting, importing, processing, testing, distribution, storing and issuing of tissues (bones, vessels, heart valves among others) and stem cells at Odense University Hospital and all other hospitals in the region. Furthermore, the tissue center runs a Fecal Micobiota Transplantation program. The tissue center is regularly inspected by the competent authorities (The Danish Patient Safety Agency).

Besides mandatory tests for donations (blood group, hemoglobin concentration, total protein, platelet count and screening for transfusion transmissible infectious agents) the Department of Clinical Immunology runs an extensive analysis program for quality control of blood and blood components.

Furthermore, the department performs analyses for diagnostic purposes for departments at Odense University Hospital including Svendborg Hospital, other hospitals in and outside the Region of Southern Denmark, and for general practitioners. Besides blood group serology, these analyses comprise diagnostic tests for autoimmunity, immunodeficiency, HIV and hepatitis. The quality of the tests is secured through participation in a number of proficiency testing programs.

Most of the analyses performed are accredited according to ISO 15189 and inspections are regularly performed by DANAK.

The department runs a programme of therapeutic plasma-, leuco-, erythrocyto- and photopheresis procedures.

Annual Report (in Danish)

Links to related sites:

University of Southern Denmark, SDU

Education 

The department contributes to the education of medical students and other students from the University of Southern Denmark, as well as students of biomedical laboratory science from University College Lillebælt. Additionally, the department offers three postgraduate training positions in the medical specialty of clinical immunology.

Research

The department engages in both basic and translational research in clinical immunology and transfusion medicine. Current research focuses on new diagnostics for autoimmune diseases, mechanisms behind immunodeficiencies, and safety issues related to blood donation and transfusion, including blood-borne infections. Moreover, the department participates in the Danish Blood Donor Study, conducting various health studies using blood samples and data from over 100,000 blood donors.

Centre for Immunotherapy of Haematological Cancer Odense (CITCO)

In collaboration with the Department of Haematology, we are dedicated to implementing chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy at the hospital. Our goal is to conduct clinical and preclinical research to advance this technique, aiming to improve treatment outcomes for patient with otherwise incurable cancers.

For more information, please visit the department’s research page at SDU (Clinical Immunology).