(ATLANTA, November 16, 2021) –The American Red Cross is looking to increase participation in an innovative study launched earlier this year by three of the nation’s largest blood centers in the country. The pilot study, funded through a contract by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), seeks to make potential changes to donor eligibility for men who have sex with men.
The American Red Cross, Vitalant, and OneBlood, which collectively supply the U.S. with approximately 60% of its blood inventory, are conducting the ADVANCE study – which stands for Assessing Donor Variability And New Concepts in Eligibility – in eight markets across the U.S., including Atlanta. Participants ages 18 to 39 years old are needed to take part in the study.
The study will focus on evaluating alternatives to the FDA’s blood donor deferral policy, which was adopted in April of 2020, for men who have sex with men (MSM). The FDA currently recommends that a man who has had sex with another man defer from donating blood for three months following the most recent sexual contact with another male.
Participants in the study will have a blood sample drawn for HIV testing and answer different questions designed to determine individual HIV risk factors. The findings of this study will help determine the next steps needed to modify the donor history questionnaire.
“If the scientific evidence supports the use of the different questions it could mean gay and bisexual men who present to donate would be assessed based upon their own individual risk for HIV infection and not according to when their last sexual contact with another man occurred,” said Susan Stramer, Ph.D., vice president of Scientific Affairs, with American Red Cross Biomedical Services.
The groundbreaking study, which looks to enroll a total of 2,000 participants across the U.S., marks the first time ever an individual risk assessment will be made for men who have sex with men. The data collected from the study will help the FDA determine if a donor history questionnaire based on individual risk is as effective as a time-based deferral in reducing the risk of HIV in the blood supply.
The American Red Cross is partnering with Atlanta Pride to raise awareness for the ADVANCE Study. To learn more or to enroll, please visit ADVANCEstudy.org.