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Human Blood Cells Grown
exceed writes: "MSNBC has an interesting article on researchers that have developed the first human blood cells by growing embryonic stem cells in a culture containing mouse tissue which encouraged development of blood cells. The result, they report, was cell colonies that 'appear identical to those produced from human bone marrow cells.' Similar work has been done like this with mice, but this is the first time human blood cells have been developed from embryonic stem cells."
"Researchers Create Human Blood Cells" using embryonic stem cells. -By Randolph E. Schmid -ChicagoTribune
I got the link from:
http://HavenWorks.com/health/stem-cell/
It's a webliography of stem - cell news.
This article provides more information on the subject, including potential benefits of this technology: infusing a patient with blood cells from a stem cell line could improve the chances that their body would accept organ transplants from the same source.
Stem cells do have the ability to continue reproducing themselves (for longer than we've ever studied if not indefinitely). The problem is that they don't grow especially fast and they are notoriously fragile. If they don't have the right nutrients, temperature, pH, etc. they will die. If each stem cell line could be coaxed into being a huge vat of cells then we'd have no shortage (except possibly too little genetic diversity amongst lines). More typically it occupies the space equivalent to a few petri dishes.
Regarding federal funding, no researchers have that yet. Bush opened up the process to allow stem cell research to be considered (subject to his restrictions). It won't be until sometime next year when the requisite government bodies start approving projects and handing out money. The process itself typically takes several months to complete.
Coming from my gf, the med school student.
Yes air in your blood stream can and will kill you. It actually would take some real effort however. First it needs to make it into a main vein. Then it needs too be enough air, not just a small bubble but probably an entire needle full. Its impossible too remove all of the air with shots etc. Most of it yes, all of it no. I don't know the exact amount of air but I do know that it is almost an urban legend since it takes some real sheer stupidity to kill someone like that. The hazard honestly is minimal. While no one has sat down and actually tried it it would most likely take effort to kill someone with air in a syringe.
Jeremy