National blood donor program tracking respiratory virus antibodies and immune responses
Official title: RFA-IP-24-046: Nationwide Cohort of Blood Donors to Estimate Burden of Respiratory Viruses and Immunologic Response
Funded at Vitalant · NIH-11186967 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This program will regularly test donated blood across the U.S. to track how common respiratory virus infections and antibodies are over time.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Vitalant NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Scottsdale, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $25,000 |
| NIH project number | 5U01IP001266-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11186967 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are adults who regularly donate blood at participating U.S. blood centers and agree to allow their donation samples and survey responses to be used for research.
✕Less likely to help
People who do not donate blood (including most children), those medically ineligible to donate, or those who do not consent to sample use are unlikely to be included or benefit directly.
What this research studies
The program keeps a nationwide group of at least 30,000 blood donors who provide serial donation-derived samples for repeated testing and short surveys. About 20,000 samples will be tested each quarter using high-throughput, multiplex serology to measure antibody levels for SARS-CoV-2, RSV, and other respiratory viruses. The effort targets at least 2,000 donors in each HHS region to produce regional and national estimates, and links lab results with donor records for incidence and titer trends. Major blood collection organizations and testing labs will collect samples while Westat manages survey design and statistical analysis.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could give public health officials and clinicians faster, more detailed information on population immunity and virus spread to help guide vaccination and prevention strategies.
How similar studies have gone: Previous blood-donor serosurveys have successfully tracked SARS-CoV-2 antibody trends, so this approach builds on established surveillance methods while expanding the viruses monitored.
Where this research is happening
-
Vitalant
Scottsdale, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Busch, Michael Paul — Vitalant
- Study coordinator: Busch, Michael Paul
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.