United Blood Services history

1947 The American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) is formed to promote common goals among blood banking practitioners and the blood donating public.

1950 In one of the single most influential technical developments in blood banking, Carl Walter and W.P. Murphy, Jr., introduce the plastic bag for blood collection.

Development of the refrigerated centrifuge in 1953 further expedites blood component therapy.

1957 The AABB forms its committee on Inspection and Accreditation to monitor the implementation of standards for blood banking.

1960 The AABB begins publication of TRANSFUSION, the first American journal wholly devoted to the science of blood banking and transfusion technology.

America's Blood Centers was founded in 1962.

Community Blood Center, founded in 1964, maintains its headquarters in Dayton, OH.

1967 Rh immune globulin is commercially introduced to prevent Rh disease in the newborns of Rh-negative women.

1971 Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) testing of donated blood begins.

1985 FDA approves enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), first blood-screening test to detect HIV antibodies.

1989 Testing of donated blood for human-Tlymphotropic-virus-I-antibody (anti-HTLV-I) begins..

1996 HIV p24 antigen testing of donated blood begins.

1999 Blood establishments begin using nucleic acid amplification testing (NAT) under FDA’s Investigational New Drug (IND) program; NAT employs testing technology that directly detects genetic materials from viruses, including HCV and HIV.

2003 First-ever National Blood Foundation forum unites leaders in blood banking and transfusion medicine

2004 AABB receives $2.4 Million CDC grant to reduce transfusion-transmitted HIV in Africa and South America.

2005 AABB founding member Tibor Greenwalt dies.

2006 AABB starts collaborating with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to create CDC National Healthcare Safety Network Hemovigilance Module.