Artificial Blood
At least for now, artificial blood remains a holy grail of trauma medicine - Marion Renault
image by: Sickle Cell Foundation of Minnesota
HWN Suggests
Searching in vein: a history of artificial blood
In 1873, Dr. Joseph Howe of New York City injected 1.5 ounces of goat’s milk into a tuberculosis patient’s vein.
Vertigo, chest pain, and uncontrollable eye movement soon racked Howe’s milk-infused patient. Naturally, the physician doubled the dose. “I am of the opinion it had no effect,” Howe noted in an 1875 account of the procedure. The patient promptly died.
Surprisingly, Howe was not the first to conduct milk transfusions—years earlier, in the midst of a cholera epidemic, two doctors brought a cow to a Toronto hospital and pumped the animal’s milk into their own patients. Howe, though, was a far more persistent advocate of the procedure.
Despite his first…
Resources
Artificial Blood – a big step in saving lives
In the future, lab-grown synthetic blood can revolutionize medical care by providing a far-reaching solution to keeping people in need supplied with blood regardless of type or donor. While the artificial blood is about to go through human trials, there is still a long road ahead for a full-scale success of synthetic blood. However, these developments can possibly change the future of mankind itself.
The quest for one of science’s holy grails: artificial blood
There has been “about 50, 60 years of research in trying to make a blood substitute that has not worked,” said Doctor, a pediatric critical care physician and researcher at Washington University in St. Louis.
Artificial Blood Substitutes: First Steps on the Long Route to Clinical Utility
The 21st century is challenging for human beings. Increased population growth, population aging, generation of new infectious agents, and natural disasters are some threatening factors for the current state of blood transfusion. However, it seems that science and technology not only could overcome these challenges but also would turn many human dreams to reality in this regard. Scientists believe that one of the future evolutionary innovations could be artificial blood substitutes that might pave the way to a new era in transfusion medicine. In this review, recent status and progresses in artificial blood substitutes, focusing on red blood cells substitutes, are summarized.
Scientists Are Racing to Create Synthetic Blood in the Wake of Mass Tragedies
Scientists have been working on creating synthetic blood for years now. The hope is that this substance will have a longer shelf life than human blood—which can only be refrigerated for 42 days—and eventually can be packaged and stored for use in emergencies. If this works, thousands of lives could be saved every year.
What Would Artificial Blood Mean for Jehovah’s Witnesses?
Would permitting artificial blood, should it become scalable in the future, be a good compromise? I’m no Jehovah’s Witness, so I can’t speculate too much, but it seems that it could be a workable loophole that would allow them to adhere to their faith while catching up with modern medicine.
Why Can’t Scientists Just Make Synthetic Blood For Transfusions?
If you’ve ever donated blood, you might have wondered why no one’s ever figured out a way to make artificial blood. The answer? It’s complicated.
Searching in vein: a history of artificial blood
For centuries scientists have sought an artificial substitute for blood. Equipped with modern nanotechnology and a humbler strategy, bioengineers think they’re closer than ever.
KaloCyte
KaloCyte is developing ErythroMer, a dried, bio-inspired artificial red blood cell, to treat life-threatening blood loss when stored red blood cells are unavailable, undesirable or in short supply.
Introducing Stitches!
Your Path to Meaningful Connections in the World of Health and Medicine
Connect, Collaborate, and Engage!
Coming Soon - Stitches, the innovative chat app from the creators of HWN. Join meaningful conversations on health and medical topics. Share text, images, and videos seamlessly. Connect directly within HWN's topic pages and articles.
