AAAHHH The Future..??

[Kwenda]

Yes, take my rotten blood, and give me some good stuff..!!

SCOTTISH scientists have been given the go-ahead for the world’s first trials in humans of synthetic blood.

Researchers based at the Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine (SCRM) in Edinburgh hope to use stem cells to manufacture blood on an industrial scale to help end shortages and prevent infections being passed on in donations.

The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has now granted a licence so scientists can make blood from stem cells which can be tested in humans – the first step towards large-scale clinical trials, which will hopefully lead to the routine use of blood created in this way.

The researchers also revealed they will now turn their attention to using stem cells – early cells capable of turning into different types of tissue – from adult donors as opposed to the more controversial embryonic ones which have so far formed the basis of their work.

As well as the blood research, the licences will also allow scientists in the coming years to create stem-cell products to treat patients who have suffered a stroke and people with Parkinson’s disease, diabetes and cancer. But much of the attention has focused on how stem cells could be harnessed to create blood products – seen by many as the “holy grail” of blood research.

While other researchers have been granted licences to develop stem-cell products for human testing, the Scottish team is the first in the world to use the permission to trial synthetic blood.

The news was announced by Edinburgh University, the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) and the company Roslin Cells.

scotsman.com/news/health/sc...

Dick

[MarkTC]

Interesting as science. Not much use to leukemia sufferers i would guess?

[swiftbrook]

Brilliant! Thanks.