We republished the story here on Gizmodo without White's images, but the resulting photos are not to be missed, giving us a fascinating glimpse inside the lab itself. The IBGRL has been around since the 1940s, and it's where many major advances in blood science have taken place, like the discovery of many new antigens—the stuff in our blood that invokes immune responses, and the presence or absence of which determines our blood types. But one of its most important roles is keeping track of rare blood donors, both so that they can donate to other rare blood type patients in need, and for equally vital research purposes.
In a way, the NHSBT's center is like the UN for blood, a central institution where the world's hospitals and doctors come for help and information, and it's fascinating to see the inside of such an important space. Mosaic's full story on rare blood donors is well worth a read here. Or you could go donate, yourself.