The World-First Trial of Lab-Grown Blood Transfusion

A collaboration team from the University of Cambridge, the National Health Service, and the University of Bristol has reported having manufactured blood in the lab, and it is the first trial administered to human volunteers.

The target of this clinical trial is to test the safety and effectiveness of the lab-made blood in at least 10 healthy people, while two volunteers have already received a dose, reported by BBC on 7 Nov.

Related Article: Scientists Study Imaging Probes in First-Ever Amputated Human Limb Model

The Limitations of Traditional Blood Donation

The traditional blood donation system has numerous drawbacks. First of all, it requires a complicated cooling infrastructure to ensure the blood collected is stored and delivered under adequate refrigeration conditions, which becomes a challenge, especially in underdeveloped countries.

In addition, rarer blood types also suffer from dwindling supplies in the blood banks, which means it’s harder to find a suitable blood match for certain racial and ethnic groups. For instance, there are only three units of the “Bombay” blood group, which was first identified in India, in stock across the whole of the UK. 

There have been two main approaches to developing artificial blood, one is to synthesize artificial substances that perform the same oxygen-carrying role as blood, while another is to harness the power of stem cells to make real blood cells. 

In the latest study, scientists used the method of growing red blood cells in the lab with stem cells extracted from whole blood samples.

A Solution for Patients with Sickle Cell Disease

The transfusions involved only a tiny amount of blood which is equivalent to one or two teaspoons as the first step of clinical trials is to ensure its safety, and the good news is there are no untoward side effects so far. Moreover, the researchers are keen to see whether the lab-grown cells last longer compared with an infusion of standard red blood cells which live around 120 days.

The research could eventually make a huge difference, especially for people with sickle cell disease, those who develop antibodies against most donor blood types, or those with genetic disorders in which their body failed to make red blood cells or manufactured mostly defective blood cells.

However, there are also some drawbacks financially and technically. The average blood donation costs the NHS around £130 while growing blood artificially will cost even more, although the exact amount is not announced. On the other hand, the harvested stem cells eventually exhaust themselves, which limits the number of red blood cells that can be grown. Thus, more in-depth research is required to produce sufficient volumes of clinical use.

Author

Nai Ye Yeat