Blood, an essential substance for human life, provides organs with oxygen as its main function. Other important tasks include supplying nutrients, removing waste products, regulating body temperature, the coagulation process and the transportation of hormones and other elements throughout the circulatory system.
Being such a precious and in-demand biological tool , scientists within several fields are in search of a substitute that will allow blood transfusions to be managed in less conventional ways.
Advantages of Synthetic Blood
Synthetic blood offers a series of advantages such as being universally compatible; cross-matching is therefore not required. Synthetic blood can also be stored for a longer time and can be easily used in inhospitable environments, as it does not require refrigeration. This makes it suitable for pre-hospital scenarios. Moreover, some blood substitutes can deliver oxygen to the organs much faster than real blood and they can prevent the delivery of blood-transmitted diseases such as Hepatitis or Mad Cow disease.
Two of the systems being investigated to generate man-made blood are based on stem cell therapy and nanotechnology. The Wellcome Trust in the UK granted £ 2.7 million to the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service in 2009 to develop synthetic blood in this manner. Edinburgh, Dundee and Glasgow Universities and Herriot-Watt University are also involved in the project.
Blood Derived from Stem Cell Therapy
Through the manipulation of stem cells (cells that can differentiate into any type of cell) from the bone marrow and those of human embryos obtained from IVF, researchers have already been able to develop a limited amount of red blood cells. Their main target is to synthesize a sufficient volume of O type blood (type O is known as the universal donor group), and make use of it for patients of any blood type without fear of tissue rejection.
New engineering solutions will have to be designed in conjunction with this innovative biological venture as the bio-production of such large amounts of cells has never been accomplished before. Nevertheless, clinical trials with humans are thought to be within reach.
If successful, this project will help to satisfy the demand for blood by clinics, estimated in the UK alone to be 2.2 million of units of blood each year,with an approximate value of £308 million per year.
Nanomedicine and Red Blood Cells
A group of researchers at the University of North Carolina has synthetically developed soft hydrogel particles that are similar to red blood cells, utilizing 'Particle Replication in Non-wetting Templates' (PRINT) technology. These particles have been positioned in the body during early trials. However, further studies need to be carried out regarding their flexibility, as these man-made structures are easily filtered out of the circulatory system. Real blood cells, on the other hand, can last for up to 120 days, as their biological flexibility allows them to travel through the pores in organs and blood vessels.
Before using this artificial blood to its full potential, however, further experiments such as testing its ability to carry oxygen or deliver therapeutic drugs will have to be completed. Chad Mirkin, Ph. D., a member of President Obama's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and director of Northwestern's International Institute for Nanotechnology states, “synthesized micron-scale particles with tunable deformability that can move through the body unrestricted as do red blood cells, open the door to a new frontier in treating disease."
Sources
- "Funding boost for synthetic blood research," Glasgow University, accessed 1 January, 2011.
- "Researchers inch closer to unlocking potential of synthetic blood," Nano Magazine, accessed 2 January, 2011.
Dinah JL Novak - Years of hard work within investigative journalism (online, print and TV ), scientific research and academics (BA and BSc) have provided ...
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