Artificial lab-based blood transfusion: the future of medicine

Blood transfusions have been a crucial part of modern medicine. A blood transfusion transfers healthy blood from a donor to a recipient. It replaces blood lost during surgery or injury or treats certain medical conditions.

However, the demand for blood transfusions often exceeds the supply. There are also concerns about the safety of blood transfusions, as donated blood can carry infectious diseases. These encounters have directed researchers to look into the opportunity of creating artificial blood for transfusion purposes.

In recent years, there has been substantial progress in lab-grown blood, also known as 'in vitro' or 'artificial blood'.

Artificial blood, also known as lab-grown blood, is the blood that is produced in a laboratory setting using stem cells or other cells as a starting material. Stem cells are a type of cell that could develop into many different types of cells in the body.

There are several different approaches to producing artificial blood. One method involves using stem cells to produce red blood cells. Another process consists of using cells from the uterine lining to produce blood cells.

The goal of artificial blood research is to produce a product that can be used in transfusions that is safe, effective, and widely available. If successful, artificial blood could potentially address the shortage of donated blood and eliminate the risk of transmitting infectious diseases through transfusions.

There have been several promising developments in artificial blood research in recent years. For example, in 2018, researchers at the University of Bristol in the UK announced that they had successfully produced red blood cells in the lab using stem cells.

In 2019, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) announced that they had developed a method for producing red blood cells from endometrial cells. Moreover, these cells could make red blood cells in large quantities.

There have also been several clinical trials of artificial blood products. For example, a clinical trial of a synthetic red blood cell product called 'PolyHeme' was completed. This trial involved patients who had lost significant blood due to injury or surgery. The test results showed that the artificial red blood cells were safe and effective in increasing the oxygen levels in the patient's blood.

Another clinical trial of an artificial red blood cell product called 'HBOC-201' was completed in 2018.

There are several potential benefits of artificial blood transfusions. One of the main benefits is that it could potentially address the shortage of donated blood. According to the World Health Organisation, there is a constant need for donated blood, and the demand often exceeds the supply. This can lead to delays in treatment and can be particularly problematic in low-income countries where the supply of donated blood is often limited.

The writer is a physician in the UK.

E-mail: opurbo.chowdhury@gmail.com