The new healthcare infrastructure, designed and manufactured entirely in Aragón, will make plasma donation more accessible to towns and districts across the region.
The Government of Aragon and the Aragon Blood and Tissue Bank have launched the region’s first Mobile Plasma Donation Unit, a pioneering initiative developed by ARPA to facilitate donations outside the Blood Bank’s permanent facilities in Zaragoza.
The unit was unveiled on 16 July at the Nuestra Señora de Gracia Hospital in Zaragoza, at a ceremony presided over by Ángel Sanz, the Regional Minister for Health of the Government of Aragon. Also in attendance were Rosa Plantagenet-Whyte, Managing Director of the Aragon Blood and Tissue Bank; Clara Arpa, CEO of ARPA; and representatives of patient and donor associations.
A healthcare solution designed to cover Aragon.
Until now, plasma donations via plasmapheresis could only be carried out at the permanent facilities of the Aragón Blood and Tissue Bank. The new unit will enable this service to be extended to different towns and districts, sparing donors the need to travel to Zaragoza and encouraging more people to donate.
This mobility is particularly important in a region characterised by its vast territory and geographical dispersion. The solution developed by ARPA has been designed to bring essential healthcare services to any part of Aragón, combining mobility, operational autonomy and ease of use.
Integrated technology and operational autonomy
The unit consists of a specially fitted module housing two apheresis machines, two treatment beds for donors, clinical furniture, refrigeration units for plasma storage, air conditioning and two generators to ensure its energy self-sufficiency.
One of the project’s key innovations is the permanent integration of the apheresis machines within the unit. This eliminates the need to constantly assemble, dismantle and move particularly sensitive medical equipment, thereby improving the protection of the equipment and streamlining preparations for each donation session.
The design has also been aimed at simplifying operation and maintenance tasks, making it easier for healthcare staff to use, and ensuring a long service life for the infrastructure.
On each trip, the unit will be staffed by a team comprising a medical professional, a nursing professional and a driver. Once the collection is complete, the plasma will be transported to the Aragón Blood and Tissue Bank for the relevant quality and safety checks, as well as for processing, preservation and storage.
Aragonese innovation serving people
The development of this first Mobile Plasma Donation Unit is the result of collaboration between the Aragón Blood and Tissue Bank and ARPA. The project has been designed and manufactured entirely in Aragón, drawing on ARPA’s expertise in developing mobile infrastructure capable of providing healthcare services in a variety of settings.
During the presentation, ARPA’s chair, Clara Arpa, emphasised the importance of developing solutions that bring healthcare within reach of all citizens, particularly in areas with a highly dispersed population.
Through this project, ARPA is reinforcing its commitment to designing innovative, reliable mobile solutions tailored to the needs of professionals, putting engineering and technology at the service of healthcare and regional cohesion.
Infrastructure that will help save lives
Plasma is the liquid component of blood and contains proteins that are essential for the production of biological medicines which cannot currently be manufactured artificially. These treatments are used in patients with immunodeficiencies, haemophilia and other clotting disorders, neurological and autoimmune diseases, rare conditions, severe burns or following transplants.
Aragón currently has around 1,400 plasma donors and expects to reach a production level of around 12,000 litres by 2026. The introduction of this new unit will help to increase donations, strengthen the supply to the hospital network and move towards greater self-sufficiency in plasma-derived medicines.
The schedule of routes and locations that the unit will visit will be announced shortly by the Aragón Blood and Tissue Bank.