Can Red Blood Cells Be Grown In Laboratory?

Researchers are the first successful autologous human red blood cells - which carry oxygen from the lungs to the tissues - from stem cells, according to a study published Thursday in the American journal Blood. The results of the study, led by Luc Douay (Inserm-UPMC) in Saint-Antoine Hospital in Paris, gave hope that one day the patients requiring blood transfusions become their own donors, according to the Institute National Health and Medical Research. Red blood cells injected were created from specific human hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) - which make all types of blood cells - a human donor.

From stem cells, researchers have succeeded in producing laboratory billions of red blood cells, with the help of specific additives called "growth factors". After tests on mice, the research team repeated the experiment on a volunteer donor: after having re-injected red blood cells grown from its own stem cells, they evaluated their survival in the body. Results: the life and survival of cultured cells are similar to those of red blood cells "classic". Which supports their validity as a possible source of transfusion, the researchers said? "While previous research had shown that it is possible to transform the CSH in mature red blood cells, this is the first study to demonstrate that these cells can survive in the human body, a major breakthrough for transfusion medicine," says Luc Douay, lead author of the study, director of the research unit of proliferation and differentiation of stem cells.

"We desperately need new sources of blood can be transfused, especially to address the shortage of blood donors and to reduce the risk of infection associated with new viruses emerging transfusion associated with traditional," adds he said. He was convinced that the red blood cells grown in the laboratory could be an unlimited pool of blood cells and an alternative to conventional products transfusion. However, the large-scale production of these cells requires additional technological advances.

This research has opened new gates for the medical professionals to take this procedure in their research work and serve community with new products that help the overall improvement of human health.