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Scientists Create Artificial Blood

Posted by Zonk on from the plastics-we're-in-you dept.

simm1701 wrote us with a BBC article link on a sort of artificial blood substitute being developed by an English university. The substance is light, can survive at room temperature, and keeps longer than real blood, allowing it to be used as a stand-in in emergency situations. "The new blood is made up of plastic molecules that have an iron atom at their core, like haemoglobin, that can carry oxygen through the body. The scientists said the artificial blood could be cheap to produce and they were looking for extra funding to develop a final prototype that would be suitable for biological testing ... A sample of the artificial blood prototype will be on display at the Science Museum in London from 22 May as part of an exhibition about the history of plastics."

3 of 225 comments (clear)

  1. Artificail Blood is old news by jr01945 · · Score: 5, Informative

    There are already a few companies making artificail blood in the US. One is Biopure. All of them are waiting either for the completion of clinical trials or FDA approval. The Biopure product has already been approved in other countries.

  2. Re:lasting effects? by _xeno_ · · Score: 5, Informative

    IANAD, so, can any harm happen with an excess of red blood cells? Maybe this will lead to a future where some could supercharge their blood to maximize oxygen carrying ability.

    It's called "blood doping" and people already do it.

    As for the rest of your question, IANAD either, and I'm curious about that too.

    --
    You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.
  3. Re:lasting effects? by amabbi · · Score: 4, Informative

    IANAD, so, can any harm happen with an excess of red blood cells? Maybe this will lead to a future where some could supercharge their blood to maximize oxygen carrying ability.


    Yes. The condition is called polycythemia, and most of the incidents involve the increased viscosity of blood leading to thrombus formation-- possibly causing heart attacks and strokes.