The emerging chemistry of blood product disinfection

Abstract

Given the importance and limitations of the blood supply worldwide, widely applicable procedures for the inactivation of pathogens (viruses, bacteria, protozoa etc.) in donated blood and blood products are now required. Conventional treatments such as ultraviolet irradiation cause damage to therapeutic components in the blood, so more targeted approaches are being sought. These include targeted chemotherapy, photochemotherapy and photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT).