Researches claimed that this blood is more efficient for medical use than blood collected from donors. Patients with rare blood types will benefit the most.
It is a great feat in blood transfusion medicine. The purpose of blood transfusion is to save live and maintain the functionality of the vascular and entire systems. Artificial blood from stem cells can save live and even those with rare blood group will benefit most. It is an achievement is a good direction.
Hi Abdallah. Like it or not, blood for transfusions is a big business. And like all business, the bottom line rules. If there is no money to be made, it will not happen, no matter how many lives can be saved.
Add the politically charged words "stem cells" to the mix and there is no chance of it receiving any federal money, at least in the US.
I know because I was one of ~300 people that were terminated from the American red cross basic science division at the Holland Lab in MD.
They called the layoffs restructuring. Lets leave it at that.
As a Clinical research scientist and physiologist, I have many questions about this achievement:
1. First we need to look at the long term effects of this artificial blood.
2. Is it cost effective?
3.Are the growth factors and or other chemicals used for mass production of artificial blood safe (without any major side effects) in the long term ?
4.Will it recycle every 120 days or so as a normal red blood cells to do.
5. If scientists produced it from hematopoietic stem cells from bonemarrow then does it include all other formed elements (RBCs, WBCs, plateles or thrombocytes) or just the RBCs.
7. If just the erythrocytes then do they have those ABO - Rh blood group antigensor not and will it retain the property of CO2 transport from tissues to the lungs ?
If UK trials are succesful, it will definitely be very helpful especially those patients who have had surgery, heamorhage, and or leukemia and are undergoing undergoing chemotherapy.
Thank you Dr. @Mohammad Parvaiz Farshori, good points for consideration.
Whatever the many other attributes of laboratory manufactured RBCs, one major advantage would be the freedom from transmissable diseases.
That is absolutely true provided it was produced in stringent sterile conditions in the lab and the donors marrow was well tested for the presence of any pathogens.
The term "Artificial blood" is a misnomers and can't be prepared in laboratory. There is a limitation of stem cells culture in vitro and component in whole blood is much more complex.
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