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After the INTERCEPT Blood System for pathogen inactivation (PI) of plasma was locally validated and approved and is now in routine use in Portugal, a conference was arranged in Portugal, by the IPST, in Coimbra, on 19th November 2014. One of the presentations informed about the current status of the INTERCEPT technology for plasma and a subsequent round table discussion, focused on the methodological and logistical aspects as well as on the experience from clinical studies and routine therapeutic use of INTERCEPT treated plasma units. Moreover, in view of current interests, both the global regulatory issues and hemovigilance data obtained were highlighted. This manuscript provides a brief summary of what has been discussed during presentations and the Q/A round table session. It was agreed between speaker and the moderator of the session to report a consensus opinion on the importance of INTERCEPT to improve the safety of plasma products in a standardized way in terms of quality indicators of hemostasis and the clinical effectiveness as well as the reliability of the technology for plasma pathogen inactivation, to be reported as part of a theme section from Portugal and to be published in Transfusion Apheresis Science in early 2015. The session started showing the beneficial advantages of the INTERCEPT technology, which has already become the standard of practice in Portugal and in more than 20 other countries, and then highlighted some of the methodological and global quality/clinical aspects, which are not usually discussed. We hope the topic discussed here would be of interest to readers of Transfusion Apheresis Science . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Platelets are known to undergo shape change, activation, a release reaction and apoptosis/necrosis during processing and storage, all of which are collectively known as the platelet storage lesion. Any additional processing may have some deleterious impact on platelet activability and functional integrity, which need to be investigated. This preliminary investigation was undertaken to establish the combined effects of standard platelet storage media and the intercept pathogen reduction technology on platelet activation and activability during 7 day storage, using buffy-coat derived platelets in standard storage media containing 35% plasma (N=24). P-selectin (CD62p) expression, a classical marker of platelet activation, and phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure on the platelet surface membrane, a hallmark of cellular necrosis/apoptosis, were both measured by flow cytometry. The results reveal significant increases in activation, from an average of 22.7% on day 1 before treatment to 31.6% on day 2 after treatment and 58.7% at the end of storage. Concomitantly, the basal expression of PS was slightly increased from 1.9% to 2.8% at day 2 after treatment and 7.3% at the end of storage. However, the functional reserve of platelets during storage, which reflects their capability to undergo activation and the release reaction when platelets were challenged with either calcium ionophore or thrombin, was relatively well maintained. These preliminary data confirm the earlier data on the use of intercept, and for the first time, based on the assessment of platelet functional integrity, suggest that platelet functional reserve is relatively well maintained, with little change in the formation of apoptotic cells.