REAL LIFE NEWS: ARTIFICIAL BLOOD CLOSER TO REALITY
by Hazed
Fans of the True Blood TV series and books will be aware that the invention of artificial blood allowed vampires to survive without feeding on humans, and this leads to all the drama and trauma that makes them such fun to watch/read.
In real life, it looks like artificial blood is very close to reality, because research into stem cells has produced red blood cells that are fit to be transfused into humans. This breakthrough could lead to artificial blood being produced on an industrial scale.
The research programme cost £5 million and was funded by the UK’s Wellcome Trust. Professor Mark Turner, who lead the team, devised a technique to culture blood cells from cells taken from humans and then turned into stem cells. You can read about the scientific details at the source link below.
The next stage is to conduct full human trials which should happen in a couple of years, most likely to involve treating three patients with Thalassaemia, a blood disorder that requires regular transfusions.
There are many challenges before the prospect of freely available artificial blood becomes a reality, not least that involved in scaling up the process to industrial levels. But if they succeed, it could be revolutionary change in health care.
Not to mention the care and feeding of vampires!
