Patients suffering from a life-threatening bleeding disorder are closer to having access to a more effective treatment. Alan Lazarus, Canadian Blood Services scientist and adjunct scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, is deciphering how a blood-derived product called IVIg (intravenous immunoglobulin) currently works, and as a result has developed a synthetic replacement product that shows promise in laboratory testing. This synthetic could be the stepping stone to replacing IVIg which is used to treat a variety of conditions, including ITP (idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura), a disease that can cause uncontrolled bleeding, and sometimes even death.
