A line immortal stem cells has been developed by researchers which will allow them to generate an unlimited supply of artificial red blood cells on demand.
Given that these artificial blood cells pass clinical trials, they will be more efficient than current red blood cell products, for medical use, that have to be produced from donor blood. This development will be a huge issue for patients with rare blood types, who often struggle in finding matching blood donors.
These immortal stem cells will not replace blood donation altogether as donated blood still works for regular blood transfusions. But separating red blood cells from donor blood is a constant struggle.
1.5 million Units of blood need to be collected each year in the U.K. alone to meet the needs of patients, especially those with rare blood types and conditions such as sickle-cell disease.
Lead researcher Jan Frayne from the University of Bristol in the UK said “Globally, there is a need for an alternative red cell product. Cultured red blood cells have advantages over donor blood, such as reduced risk of infectious disease transmission.”
Researchers had attempted to turn donated stem cells straight into mature red blood cells in the past which works but is an incredibly inefficient process. 50,000 red blood cells are made by each stem cell before it dies off making the researchers in need of a new blood donation.
50,000 might sound like a lot but a typical bag of blood used in hospitals contains around 1 trillion red blood cells.
Read more: Using stem cells to create an endless supply of blood