RUSTON, La.– The largest independent blood-plasma donation center operator in the world is coming to Ruston. ImmunoTek Plasma opens its Ruston location on December 13, 2022. ImmunoTek has deep Louisiana roots; the company started in 2013 and now has donation centers operating in 13 states, including one other Louisiana location in Slidell. The company has accepted more than six million donations from blood-plasma donors since it launched nearly ten years ago.
There is a worldwide demand for blood-plasma, and the new center in Ruston will help meet that need. Donated plasma helps create plasma protein therapies and medicines for healthcare patients around the globe. These plasma-derived medicines treat immune disorders, rare diseases, burn victims, cancer patients, and other illnesses. Treating just one patient for a year requires 130 – 1,200 plasma donations from healthy donors.
Plasma is the golden liquid part of blood and has such a unique biological makeup that scientists cannot create it synthetically. The U.S. provides 2/3 of the plasma used worldwide, so every donation is critical to making the medicines many people depend on for their quality of life.
“The U.S. is one of the few countries that allow healthcare companies to compensate donors for their time donating plasma,” said Blair McKinney, Chief Operations Officer of ImmunoTek. “In addition to donor compensation, our centers create healthcare-oriented jobs and support for local businesses. We anticipate the new Ruston center will have a $5 million economic benefit to the community.”
To be eligible to donate plasma, a medical screening is conducted by in-house medical professionals, along with a medical history and physical exam. Donating plasma is much like making a blood donation. A safe, sterile, automated process called plasmapheresis separates plasma from the blood and returns the remaining red blood cells to the donor. Donors can give plasma up to twice a week.
“Making a plasma donation is easy and safe. Everyone who donates plasma directly impacts someone else who is in vital need of plasma-based medicines,” said Scott Dies, Manager of the new Ruston ImmunoTek Plasma center. “Every donor makes a difference, and every donation is a small investment of time allowing donors to earn extra money.”
