JAPANESE SCIENTISTS WILL BEGIN CLINICAL TRIALS FOR ARTIFICIAL BLOOD COMPATIBLE WITH ALL BLOOD TYPES
Every two seconds, someone in the US needs blood or platelets, according to the Red Cross. Considering the global picture, the World Health Organisation reports that only 16% of the world's population resides in high-income nations, where 40% of blood donations are made. A group of Japanese researchers have developed artificial blood in response to these difficulties, which could revolutionise the future of blood transfusions.
The group at Nara Medical University, led by Hiromi Sakai, created an artificial blood that may be administered to any patient. It is made by removing haemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen, from donor blood that has gone bad. After that, the haemoglobin is covered in a protective lipid coating to create haemoglobin vesicles, which are synthetic red blood cells that are just as effective at delivering oxygen to the tissues as real blood.
Anybody, regardless of blood type, can get the artificial blood because these cells lack blood type markers. It would reduce the need for O-negative blood, also referred to as the universal donor type, if it were made generally accessible. In contrast to donated blood, which has a 42-day shelf life, it may be stored for up to two years at ambient temperature and five years in a refrigerator. It would also be a fantastic substitute in disaster areas and those with little access or resources.
Following an early-stage trial in 2022 of haemoglobin vesicles, a clinical trial was launched in March. During the studies, 100 to 400 mm of the artificial blood cells were administered to 16 healthy volunteers. No side effects have been reported from the latest study, so the trial may move on to studying the artificial blood ’s efficacy and safety. For all its promise, some specialists are sceptical about how widespread it can become as the reliance on human blood may restrict the scale of its production.
In the meantime, Chuo University's Faculty of Science and Engineering Professor Teruyuki Komatsu has approached the creation of artificial blood differently. Komatsu has wrapped it in a protein known as albumin instead of a lipid coating. This oxygen carrier is also virus- and blood type-free. Komatsu has verified the artificial blood's ability to stabilise blood pressure during haemorrhages and aid in the treatment of strokes in animal tests.
The invention developed by Sakai's team may lessen typical issues, including the "possibility of infection, blood type mismatching, immunological response, and short shelf life, which is insufficient for storing for emergency scenarios," according to Newsweek. If everything proceeds as planned, Sakai and his team expect the blood to hopefully go into clinical use by 2030.
