For the first time, patients received blood transfusions using blood cells derived from stem cells in the laboratory. This could eventually lead to a revolution in blood transfusion. At the moment, the procedure is still in clinical trials to test its safety. In our body, blood is certainly essential as it carries oxygen, nutrients, cellular waste and hormones to the organs. It also maintains our body temperature, pH levels and ionic balance in the circulatory system, and protects us from bleeding and other infections. Today, blood transfusions are commonplace and save millions of lives every year. However, blood is still missing. Demand greatly exceeds supply, and blood typing is another problem. An alternative would be to produce blood cells on a large scale in the laboratory. This is not a new idea, but technical means have held back progress for a long time. Some progress has been made recently. An important step was even taken – for the first time in history, the transfusion of cultured blood to patients.
The idea is not to take red blood cells, but stem cells from donated blood. They are then isolated and placed in a nutrient solution for 18 to 21 days, which causes them to multiply and develop into more mature blood cells. These new cells are then purified, stored and prepared for transfusion.
A new clinical trial led by the University of Bristol called RESTORE aims to test the safety of these transfusions and determine how long they last in the body. The lifespan of red blood cells is typically around 120 days, but normal donated blood contains a random sample of cells of varying ages. Therefore, in practice, their service life is shorter. In contrast, laboratory-grown blood is absolutely “fresh”. Theoretically, it should last up to 120 days.
The trial will involve at least ten people who will be transfused with “mini” blood containing only five to ten milliliters of red blood cells. Each participant will receive two mini-transfusions four months apart, one with lab-grown blood cells and the other with standard donor blood. So far, only two participants have received blood transfusions as part of this trial. So far, none of them have had any side effects. While there is still a long way to go, lab-grown blood cells may ultimately offer some advantages over regular blood. For example, for people with diseases that require regular medication, the longer lifespan of these blood cells should allow them to extend the intervals between transfusions. Source: New-Science.ru https://new-science.ru/pervye-perelivaniya-vyrashhennyh-v-laboratorii-kletok-krovi/
