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For the First Time, Lab-Grown Blood Is Pumped Into a Human's Veins

Posted November 16, 2011 2:33 PM

From Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now:

Artificial blood may become a common reality, thanks to the first successful transfusion of lab-grown blood into a human. Luc Douay, of Pierre and Marie Curie University, Paris, extracted hematopoietic stem cells from a volunteer's bone marrow, and encouraged these cells to grow into red blood cells with a cocktail of growth factors. Douay's team labeled these cultured cells for tracing, and injected 10 billion of them (equalling 2 milliliters of blood) back into the marrow donor's body. After five days, 94 to 100 percent of the blood cells remained circulating in the body. After 26 days, 41 to 63 percent remained, which is a normal survival rate for naturally produced blood cells. The cells functioned just like normal blood cells, effectively carrying oxygen around the body.

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#1

Re: For the First Time, Lab-Grown Blood Is Pumped Into a Human's Veins

11/16/2011 6:06 PM

Artificial blood may become a common reality

Artificial blood is a reality currently being held at bay by FDA testing. It has been on the horizon for at least 15 years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxycyte

And yes, I realize this isn't the exact same thing, but it doesn't spark stem cell debates!

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#2

Re: For the First Time, Lab-Grown Blood Is Pumped Into a Human's Veins

11/17/2011 3:28 AM

2ml in 4l is 0.05%. That the cells survived is interesting.

What happens when the percentage is raised to something more significant? That would be really interesting!

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#3
In reply to #2

Re: For the First Time, Lab-Grown Blood Is Pumped Into a Human's Veins

11/17/2011 6:25 AM

As a rank amateur, I am amazed that the blood survived so long, that bodes very well for the future. How they checked that is even more interesting. I would expect that a larger volume would work just as well as the body is known to be very "picky" about such things, if it wasn't "picky", that shows a lot of simularity with normal blood.

Great news for everyone I find personally. No more blood donors needed eventually?

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