Lab-grown blood used on people in world-first clinical trial

Article content

Blood grown in a laboratory has been transfused into humans in a world-first clinical trial that researchers say could revolutionize treatments for people with rare blood types.

So far, two U.K. patients have received small amounts — equivalent to a couple of spoonfuls — of the lab-grown blood to examine how it performs in the body. 

The trial aims to compare the lifespan of lab-grown cells to infusions of standard red blood cells from the same donor.

“We hope our lab grown red blood cells will last longer than those that come from blood donors,” said Professor Cedric Ghevaert, chief investigator at the University of Cambridge. “If our trial, the first such in the world, is successful, it will mean that patients who currently require regular long-term blood transfusions will need fewer transfusions in future, helping transform their care.”

The trial, with research teams in Bristol, Cambridge, London and at NHS Blood and Transplant, focuses on the red blood cells that carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.

Beginning with a donation of a pint of blood from an adult, magnetic beads are used to extract flexible stem cells that are capable of becoming a red blood cell. These stem cells are placed in a nutrient solution for approximately 18-21 days, stimulating the cells to multiply and develop into more mature cells, and are then guided to become red blood cells.

One pool of around 500,000 stem cells results in 50 billion red blood cells. After filtering those 50 billion red blood cells, the pool is reduced to 15 billion cells and are at the right stage of development to transplant.

The lab-grown blood is tagged with a radioactive substance, typically used in medical procedures, to monitor its longevity in the body.

“We want to make as much blood as possible in the future, so the vision in my head is a room full of machines producing it continually from a normal blood donation,”  University of Bristol Professor Ashley Toye told the BBC.

While the trial is still in its initial phases, the bulk of blood transfusions will remain reliant on donations.

“The need for normal blood donations to provide the vast majority of blood will remain. But the potential for this work to benefit hard to transfuse patients is very significant,” said Dr. Farrukh Shah, medical director of Transfusion for NHS Blood and Transplant, and a collaborators on the project.

The manufacturing of lab-grown blood cells will be most beneficial for patients suffering from blood conditions like sickle cell anemia. Typically, the body rejects any treatment if the blood is not a precise match, which can be difficult for those with a rare blood type. This level of tissue-matching goes beyond the well-known A, B, AB and O blood groups, the BBC reports.

Professor Toye said some groups were “really, really rare” and there “might only be 10 people in the country” able to donate.

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our newsletters here.