Abdul Mannan: Can Amyloid-β Be Transmitted via Blood Components?
Abdul Mannan, Consultant Haematologist at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, shared a post on LinkedIn about a recent article by Gargi Banerjee et al., published in The Lancet, adding:
”A blood-safety question is emerging before we have a screening assay, a reliable denominator, or proof that transmission occurs:
Could amyloid-β pathology, in rare circumstances, be carried through blood components?
It is a question that demands investigation, but not premature action.
A new Lancet Viewpoint brings together an uncomfortable body of evidence.
We already know that amyloid-β pathology has been transmitted through certain historical medical exposures, particularly cadaver-derived growth hormone and dura mater. These were not ordinary transfusion settings, but they changed what we thought possible.
The blood-transfusion question rests on a convergence of findings:
- amyloid-β can behave as a proteopathic seed
- it is found in blood-related compartments, including platelets and red cells
- animal work supports peripheral seeding
- Scandinavian donor-recipient data found an association between donor haemorrhage phenotypes and later intracerebral haemorrhage in recipients
That is enough to justify serious study.
It is not enough to claim that blood transfusion transmits Alzheimer’s disease or cerebral amyloid angiopathy.
It is not enough to introduce donor screening, age matching, or changes to transfusion practice.
And it is certainly not a reason to alarm patients who have received blood.
The immediate clinical lesson is more disciplined.
Patient blood management matters because every transfusion should have a clear expected benefit. Long-term donor-recipient linkage matters because it may detect safety signals before a direct assay exists. And language matters because uncertainty can be distorted in both directions: dismissed too quickly or turned into a frightening headline.
Blood safety has been harmed by both errors.
The right response is neither dismissal nor alarm. It is replication, better surveillance, assay development, and honest communication about what we know and what we do not.”
Title: Risk of transmission of amyloid β pathology via transfused blood products
Article: Gargi Banerjee, Gustaf Edgren, Jingcheng Zhao, Prof Neil M Ferguson, Prof Heli Harvala, James Hope, Graham S Jackson, Prof Philip J Lowry, Prof Simon Mead, Silvia A Purro, Prof Jonathan M Schott, Prof Marc L Turner, Prof David J Werring, Prof Henrik Zetterberg, Prof John Collinge
Other posts featuring Abdul Mannan with Hemostasis Today.
-
Aug 28, 2026, 12:14Gathoni Kungu: Run to End Postpartum Hemorrhage and Save Lives
-
Aug 28, 2026, 12:09Joe Daniels: Heavy Periods Deserve Attention
-
Aug 28, 2026, 12:06Matthew Siedhoff: Understanding the Cause Behind Gynecological Symptoms
-
Aug 28, 2026, 12:03Archil Jaliashvili: Biological Hemoglobin Oxygen Carriers as a Bridge in Emergencies
-
Aug 28, 2026, 11:56Bassem M. Mohammed: New Cryo-EM Study Reveals How Factor XIa Activates Factor IX
-
Aug 28, 2026, 11:38Rebecca Embleton: Understanding Bowel Dysfunction After Pelvic Radiotherapy
-
Aug 28, 2026, 11:33Fabrício Doin Paz de Oliveira: Hemorrhoidal Disease – Challenges and Treatment Options
-
Aug 28, 2026, 11:22Moving Beyond Annualized Bleed Rates to Whole-Person Quality of Life – CRH French Reference Center for Hemophilia Lyon
-
Aug 28, 2026, 11:16Thierry Burnouf: Turning Raw Plasma Into Life-Saving Medicines Requires Manufacturing and Regulatory Reform