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Lab grown blood - 5th December 2022

Scientists working for the national health service in the UK have begun human trials of lab grown blood. The project hopes to save the lives of those living with rare blood types and diseases such as sickle cell anaemia and thalassemia.

Scientists are injecting spoonfuls of the lab grown blood into test patients. The patients are then monitored to see how they react.

People with blood diseases like thalassemia can require regular blood transfusions, which can be a problem for those with rarer blood types like AB negative. For example, in the US, only one percent of the population is AB negative and blood for transfusion is limited. Lab grown blood offers a new hope.

But how do scientists grow blood? They start with around 470 millilitres of donated blood. They then use magnetic beads to capture stem cells from the blood; these are then multiplied in a lab, and subsequently transformed into red blood cells.

The lab grown blood may be more potent than normal donations. Red blood cells typically last 120 days. A blood donation contains both new and old blood cells, meaning some cells won't last as long as lab grown blood of all new blood cells, so patients would theoretically need fewer transfusions.

For Toks Odesanmi who has sickle cell anaemia, the study is potentially life changing. Due to the blood disorder she has had both her hips replaced, an ankle bone fused and a liver transplant. For her, getting a transfusion is like getting 'a fresh lease on life'.

Despite her hardships, Odesanmi remains hopeful, stating, 'Hope is one thing we'll hold on to, hope is all we have.'

However, an NHS spokesperson said lab grown blood will take anywhere between 5 to 10 years before becoming widely available.

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