Pioneering Trial on Lab Grown Red Blood Cells Has Promising First Signs
In a first of its kind clinical trial, red blood cells grown in a laboratory have been transfused into another human being.
Access to the right type of blood is essential in modern day healthcare. Operations, emergency responses and the treatment of many diseases often rely on blood transfusions donated by members of the public. Certain diseases, such as sickle cell anaemia, require periodic blood transfusions to maintain a patient's quality of life. Treatment of these patients can be made even harder when a patient develops antibodies to the more common blood types, meaning that treatment is limited to those that are more in demand.
This reliance can cause issues and delays in treatment, as shown by the NHS's blood stocks amber alert in October, meaning that some non-urgent surgeries and treatments were postponed whilst stocks were replenished.
However, this reliance on blood from donors, especially with rarer blood types, may one day be relieved. The RESTORE trial between NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and the University of Bristol (working in conjunction with several other institutions) have, for the first time, transfused small volumes of lab grown red blood cells into another person.
The blood cells are grown by separating out the stem cells in a donor's blood, which are then grown to produce red blood cells. Due to the nature of the cells being 'fresher' than those preserved in the normal way, the RESTORE trial is hoping to find that the cells have a longer lifespan in the body. This could in turn reduce the frequency that patients requiring periodic transfusions have to attend hospital.
Further trials are needed before we can expect to see stem cell manufactured blood in mainstream circulation, but this trial shows real promise for patients with rare blood types in the future. For the foreseeable future the NHS and other healthcare institutions will continue to rely on donations, but this trial suggests that this sole reliance may not always be the case.
