In 1940, the U.S. government established a national blood collection program. That same year the National Research Council through its Division of Medical Sciences organized an advisory committee on Blood and Blood Derivatives to investigate and solve problems of technique, equipment packaging, preservation, handling and transportation of blood and plasma.

In January, 1941 the Surgeons General of the Army and Navy requested the American National Red Cross and the Division of Medical Sciences of the National Research Council “to provide an adequate supply of blood and blood substitutes needed by the Armed Forces.” In less than one month this program was in operation and the first blood donation was processed into plasma by Sharp and Dohme, on February 4, 1941.