What Is Plasma?
Plasma is the clear, straw-colored liquid portion of the blood that remains after the removal of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and other cellular components. It is the single largest component of human blood, comprising about 55 percent, and contains water, salts, enzymes, antibodies and other proteins. Human plasma is the source of proteins and antibodies including albumin, clotting factors, immunoglobulins and fibrinogen, which are used to make therapies that treat life-threatening rare, chronic, and often genetic diseases such as hemophilia, primary immunodeficiencies, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, and neurological and autoimmune disorders.
Plasma protein therapies also are used to treat medical conditions such as shock, trauma and burns. Therefore, plasma is the essential starting material for a wide range of life-saving medicines that cannot be manufactured without it.