James Harrison (blood donor)

Last updated

James Harrison

OAM
Born
James Christopher Harrison

(1936-12-27) 27 December 1936 (age 86)
Junee, New South Wales, Australia [1]
Known forBlood plasma donations spanning 60 years
Spouse
Barbara Lindbeck
​
(died 2005)​

James Christopher Harrison OAM (born 27 December 1936), also known as the Man with the Golden Arm, is a blood plasma donor [2] from Australia whose plasma contains antibodies against RhD which are used in making a treatment for Rhesus disease. One of the founding donors of New South Wales' (NSW) Rh Program he regularly donated until, on 11 May 2018, he made his 1,173rd donation [3] [4]  –his last, as Australian policy prohibits blood donations from those past age 81. [5] His donations are credited with saving over two million babies. [6]

Contents

Early life

James Harrison was born on 27 December 1936. [7] In 1951, at the age of 14, he underwent major chest surgery, requiring a large amount of blood. Realizing that the blood had saved his life, he made a pledge to start donating blood himself as soon as he turned 18, the then-required age. [8] [9]

Blood plasma donations

Harrison started donating in 1954. After the first few donations, it was discovered that his blood contained unusually strong and persistent antibodies against the D Rh group antigen. Blood which contains a high level of anti-D antibodies can be processed to create immunoglobulin-based products used to prevent haemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN). These products are given to Rh(D) negative mothers of unknown or Rh(D) positive babies during and after pregnancy to prevent the creation of antibodies to the blood of the Rh(D) positive child. This antigen sensitization and subsequent incompatibility phenomenon causes Rhesus disease, the most common form of HDN. [4]

Harrison was one of the founding donors in NSW's Rh Program, one of the first in the world in 1969, and he continuously donated from then onwards. As blood plasma, in contrast to blood, can be donated as often as once every two weeks, he was able to reach his 1,000th donation in May 2011. This resulted in an average of one donation every three weeks during 57 years. Commenting on his record, he said: "I could say it's the only record that I hope is broken, because if they do, they have donated a thousand donations". [2] On 11 May 2018, he made his 1,173rd and last donation in compliance with Australian policy prohibiting blood donations from those past age 81. [5]

Through their donations, the members of NSW's Rh Program have provided millions of doses of anti-D and helped prevent thousands of deaths and stillbirths, as well as many more instances of sickness and disability caused by HDN. Over his lifetime, Harrison's donations amounted to tens of thousands of doses worth of antibodies and have contributed to every batch of anti-D produced in NSW. [4]

Research is also being done on creating a mixture of monoclonal antibodies, antibodies made by immortalized B cells in bioreactors, that matches what donors such as Harrison's bodies produce naturally. The project has been colloquially called "James in a Jar". [10]

Advocacy

In 2007, Harrison was critical of plans to open up Australia's plasma donation to foreign corporations. He believes that opening up the trade will discourage volunteer donations. This opening of trade stemmed from a review of the country's free trade agreement with the United States. [11]

Honours

Harrison was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) on 7 June 1999. [12] In 2011, he was nominated in the New South Wales Local Hero division of the Australian of the Year awards. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blood type</span> Classification of blood based on antibodies and antigens on red blood cell surfaces

A blood type is a classification of blood, based on the presence and absence of antibodies and inherited antigenic substances on the surface of red blood cells (RBCs). These antigens may be proteins, carbohydrates, glycoproteins, or glycolipids, depending on the blood group system. Some of these antigens are also present on the surface of other types of cells of various tissues. Several of these red blood cell surface antigens can stem from one allele and collectively form a blood group system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blood transfusion</span> Intravenous transference of blood products

Blood transfusion is the process of transferring blood products into a person's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used for various medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood. Early transfusions used whole blood, but modern medical practice commonly uses only components of the blood, such as red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, platelets, and other clotting factors.

Rh disease is a type of hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN). HDFN due to anti-D antibodies is the proper and currently used name for this disease as the Rh blood group system actually has more than 50 antigens and not only the D-antigen. The term "Rh Disease" is commonly used to refer to HDFN due to anti-D antibodies, and prior to the discovery of anti-Rho(D) immune globulin, it was the most common type of HDFN. The disease ranges from mild to severe, and occurs in the second or subsequent pregnancies of Rh-D negative women when the biologic father is Rh-D positive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blood donation</span> Blood withdrawal for use by another person via transfusion

A blood donation occurs when a person voluntarily has blood drawn and used for transfusions and/or made into biopharmaceutical medications by a process called fractionation. Donation may be of whole blood, or of specific components directly (apheresis). Blood banks often participate in the collection process as well as the procedures that follow it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hemolytic disease of the newborn</span> Fetal and neonatal alloimmune blood condition

Hemolytic disease of the newborn, also known as hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn, HDN, HDFN, or erythroblastosis fetalis, is an alloimmune condition that develops in a fetus at or around birth, when the IgG molecules produced by the mother pass through the placenta. Among these antibodies are some which attack antigens on the red blood cells in the fetal circulation, breaking down and destroying the cells. The fetus can develop reticulocytosis and anemia. The intensity of this fetal disease ranges from mild to very severe, and fetal death from heart failure can occur. When the disease is moderate or severe, many erythroblasts are present in the fetal blood, earning these forms of the disease the name erythroblastosis fetalis.

The direct and indirect Coombs tests, also known as antiglobulin test (AGT), are blood tests used in immunohematology. The direct Coombs test detects antibodies that are stuck to the surface of the red blood cells. Since these antibodies sometimes destroy red blood cells they can cause anemia; this test can help clarify the condition. The indirect Coombs test detects antibodies that are floating freely in the blood. These antibodies could act against certain red blood cells; the test can be carried out to diagnose reactions to a blood transfusion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cross-matching</span> Testing before a blood transfusion

Cross-matching or crossmatching is a test performed before a blood transfusion as part of blood compatibility testing. Normally, this involves adding the recipient's blood plasma to a sample of the donor's red blood cells. If the blood is incompatible, the antibodies in the recipient's plasma will bind to antigens on the donor red blood cells. This antibody-antigen reaction can be detected through visible clumping or destruction of the red blood cells, or by reaction with anti-human globulin. Along with blood typing of the donor and recipient and screening for unexpected blood group antibodies, cross-matching is one of a series of steps in pre-transfusion testing. In some circumstances, an electronic cross-match can be performed by comparing records of the recipient's ABO and Rh blood type against that of the donor sample. In emergencies, blood may be issued before cross-matching is complete. Cross-matching is also used to determine compatibility between a donor and recipient in organ transplantation.

Rho(D) immune globulin (RhIG) is a medication used to prevent RhD isoimmunization in mothers who are RhD negative and to treat idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) in people who are Rh positive. It is often given both during and following pregnancy. It may also be used when RhD-negative people are given RhD-positive blood. It is given by injection into muscle or a vein. A single dose lasts 12 weeks. It is made from human blood plasma.

In ABO hemolytic disease of the newborn maternal IgG antibodies with specificity for the ABO blood group system pass through the placenta to the fetal circulation where they can cause hemolysis of fetal red blood cells which can lead to fetal anemia and HDN. In contrast to Rh disease, about half of the cases of ABO HDN occur in a firstborn baby and ABO HDN does not become more severe after further pregnancies.

Hemolytic disease of the newborn (anti-Kell1) is the second most common cause of severe hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN) after Rh disease. Anti-Kell1 is becoming relatively more important as prevention of Rh disease is also becoming more effective.

Hemolytic disease of the newborn (anti-Rhc) can range from a mild to a severe disease. It is the third most common cause of severe HDN. Rh disease is the most common and hemolytic disease of the newborn (anti-Kell) is the second most common cause of severe HDN. It occurs more commonly in women who are Rh D negative.

The term human blood group systems is defined by the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) as systems in the human species where cell-surface antigens—in particular, those on blood cells—are "controlled at a single gene locus or by two or more very closely linked homologous genes with little or no observable recombination between them", and include the common ABO and Rh (Rhesus) antigen systems, as well as many others; 44 human systems are identified as of December 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rh blood group system</span> Human blood group system involving 49 blood antigens

The Rh blood group system is a human blood group system. It contains proteins on the surface of red blood cells. After the ABO blood group system, it is the most likely to be involved in transfusion reactions. The Rh blood group system consisted of 49 defined blood group antigens in 2005. As of 2023, there are over 50 antigens among which the five antigens D, C, c, E, and e are the most important. There is no d antigen. Rh(D) status of an individual is normally described with a positive (+) or negative (−) suffix after the ABO type. The terms Rh factor, Rh positive, and Rh negative refer to the Rh(D) antigen only. Antibodies to Rh antigens can be involved in hemolytic transfusion reactions and antibodies to the Rh(D) and Rh antigens confer significant risk of hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn

Hemolytic disease of the newborn (anti-RhE) is caused by the anti-RhE antibody of the Rh blood group system. The anti-RhE antibody can be naturally occurring, or arise following immune sensitization after a blood transfusion or pregnancy.

Rozrolimupab is a recombinant antibody mixture, specifically containing 25 Rhesus D, or RhD, human antibodies, and is currently under development by Symphogen for the treatment of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and for the prevention of hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN).

This list concerns blood type distribution between countries and regions. Blood type is a classification of blood, based on the presence and absence of antibodies and inherited antigenic substances on the surface of red blood cells (RBCs). These antigens may be proteins, carbohydrates, glycoproteins, or glycolipids, depending on the blood group system.

John G. Gorman is an Australian born physician and medical researcher. In 1980, Gorman shared the Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award for pioneering work on the rhesus blood group system, the role of rhesus D antibodies in the causation of Rh disease and the apparently paradoxical prevention of Rh disease using the Rh antibodies themselves, in the form of Rho(D) immune globulin, as treatment.

Rh factor testing, also known as Rhesus factor testing, is the procedure of determining the rhesus D status of an individual.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth Darrow</span> American pathologist

Ruth Renter Darrow (1895–1956) was an American pathologist who was the first to identify the cause of hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN). In 1938, three years prior to the discovery of antibodies against the Rh antigen, Darrow correctly hypothesized that the disease was caused by destruction of red blood cells due to antibodies in the mother's blood. Darrow's research was inspired by her personal experiences with the disease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blood compatibility testing</span> Testing to identify incompatibilities between blood types

Blood compatibility testing is conducted in a medical laboratory to identify potential incompatibilities between blood group systems in blood transfusion. It is also used to diagnose and prevent some complications of pregnancy that can occur when the baby has a different blood group from the mother. Blood compatibility testing includes blood typing, which detects the antigens on red blood cells that determine a person's blood type; testing for unexpected antibodies against blood group antigens ; and, in the case of blood transfusions, mixing the recipient's plasma with the donor's red blood cells to detect incompatibilities (crossmatching). Routine blood typing involves determining the ABO and RhD type, and involves both identification of ABO antigens on red blood cells and identification of ABO antibodies in the plasma. Other blood group antigens may be tested for in specific clinical situations.

References

  1. ↑ Newman, Yasmin (2012). "Bloodlines". Red Flag. No. 6. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  2. 1 2 "'Saving Lives'". TEN News. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  3. ↑ We Should Talk About What James Harrison Did... Philip Defranco . Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 "Australia's pioneering Rh Program turns 50". Australian Red Cross Lifeblood. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  5. 1 2 Criss, Doug (11 May 2018). "He donated blood every week for 60 years and saved the lives of 2.4 million babies". CNN . Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  6. ↑ Bresnahan, Samantha (9 June 2015). "This man's blood has saved the lives of two million babies". CNN. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  7. 1 2 "James Harrison OAM". australianoftheyear.org.au. Archived from the original on 11 June 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  8. ↑ "James Harrison: Australian Man With Special Blood Type Saves 2 Million Babies". The Huffington Post . 24 March 2010. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
  9. ↑ "James's generosity put him in the Guinness Book of World Records". The Senior. 5 May 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  10. ↑ Stevens, Matt (14 May 2018). "'Man With the Golden Arm' Saved Millions of Australian Babies With His Blood". The New York Times . Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  11. ↑ "James Harrison: FTA threatens blood donor system". The Australian . Australia. 19 January 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  12. ↑ "James Christopher Harrison". It's An Honour. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
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