The first step towards the manufacture of universal artificial blood would have taken place in Japan. This is revealed by a study published in the American journal Transfusion.
Blood for everyone, regardless of blood type: it sounds almost too good to be true. However, as reported by a item from the Japanese national daily Asahi Shimbunscientists mainly from the military academy National Defense Medical College, based in Tokorozawa, may well have developed this artificial blood.
L’studypublished in the American journal Transfusion, was conducted in rabbits. Thus, tested on ten animals suffering from substantial blood loss, artificial blood enabled six of them to survive. “Ratio comparable to that of rabbits treated with real blood, according to the team, can we read in the article. The researchers assured that no negative effects, such as blood clotting, were reported. “.
Artificial blood can be stored for over a year
Like human blood, the artificial blood developed by the researchers is made up of platelets and red blood cells. Each of these two components is then placed in a liposome, derived from the cell membrane to stop bleeding and transfer oxygen.
If human red blood cells can be kept 42 days and its platelets only a week, artificial blood can be stored for over a year at normal temperatures. This advance would make it possible to combat the shortage of blood products that currently exists, particularly in France, where hospitals need 10,000 blood donations per day to meet all needs.
“Injured patients can be treated before they arrive at the hospital”
“Since blood type is not a problem with artificial blood, injured patients can be treated before they arrive at the hospital, which increases the survival rate,” the research team points out.
“It is difficult to store a sufficient quantity of blood for transfusions in regions such as remote islands, also highlighted to Asahi Shimbun one of the team members, Manabu Kinoshita, associate professor of immunology at the National Defense Medical College. Artificial blood will be able to save the lives of people who could not otherwise be saved.”
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