Sanquin integrates Terumo BCT’s Reveos™ Automated Blood Processing System to enhance blood processing efficiency and increase production of essential blood products 

Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies (Terumo BCT), a medical technology company, and Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation, the Netherlands national blood supply authority, announced a 10-year agreement to automate the country’s blood processing facilities using Terumo BCT’s Reveos™ Automated Blood Processing System. Sanquin is known for pioneering the buffy coat process to produce blood components, which is widely used around the world.[1] It is transitioning from buffy coat to this advanced automation technology to produce more blood components, such as platelets and plasma, without needing to increase donations. 

Donor recruitment and retention remains a critical challenge for blood transfusion organizations globally. Meanwhile, demand continues to rise for blood components to treat various acute and chronic diseases — platelet transfusions are crucial in cancer treatment, acute and chronic anemia, and bleeding disorders, while red blood cell transfusions are needed for certain liver diseases.  

Implementing Reveos across the nation's production sites will allow Sanquin to increase efficiency and produce a unit of platelets from four blood donations instead of five. This automation technology also streamlines Sanquin’s processes, significantly reducing complexity from 26 manual steps to just nine automated steps[2], alleviating the physical demands on staff. 

As a result, Sanquin, which processes approximately 400,000 whole blood donations annually[3], stands to reduce the cost of blood collection by increasing platelet production — without the need to increase the number of either whole-blood or platelet-specific donations. Moreover, Reveos enhances plasma recovery, which supports the production of plasma-derived medicines and therapies. 

“Implementing Terumo BCT’s technology will have a tremendous impact on our nation’s blood supply,” said Peter Verheggen, Director of Blood Supply at Sanquin. “Blood donors provide an invaluable gift, and we have a duty to maximize its patient impact. Transitioning to the Reveos technology will help us ensure we can continue to meet patient demand with increased efficiency, consistent quality and a smaller production footprint.” 

Says Chetan Makam, General Manager, Global Blood Solutions, Terumo BCT: “We are dedicated to supporting Sanquin in achieving operational excellence through the Reveos platform. Automation brings efficiencies — speed, consistency, quality and reduced waste — to the complex work of producing lifesaving blood components to deliver life-changing therapies.” 

[1] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/vox.13280 

[2] Data on file at Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies. May vary depending on the manual or semi-automated process in the blood processing facility. 

[3] https://www.sanquin.nl/binaries/content/assets/sanquinnl/over-sanquin/pers--actueel/jaarverslagen/jaarverslag-stichting-sanquin-bloedvoorziening-2023.pdf