Two teaspoons of lab-made blood could offer great potential for people with rare blood disorders

(CNN) — Scientists say lab-made red blood cells in a world-first test experts say have great potential for people with hard-to-match conditions such as blood type and sickle cell disease were transfused into human volunteers. This study may one day mean an end to the long search for a matching donor or a dangerous transfusion reaction.

Experimental blood transfusions were performed at Addenbrook Hospital, Cambridge, England. This was done as part of a collaboration between British scientists to understand how lab-made transfusions work.

Scientists took whole blood from donors in the UK database and isolated stem cells. These are the raw materials of the body, the cells from which all specialized cells such as red blood cells can be produced.

Researchers grew red blood cells from those stem cells and transfused them into two healthy volunteers.

Only a small amount of blood is required for transfusion, equivalent to 1-2 teaspoons. A standard transfusion requires hundreds of times that amount.

At this stage of the trial, two mini-transfusions will be given at least four months apart.

Researchers are closely monitoring volunteers to determine whether the process was safe.

They also look at how long the lab-grown cells last compared to standard red blood cell infusions. contains cells of different ages because the bone marrow continuously produces these cells.

Previous tests have shown that manufactured cells function like normal cells, and that these laboratory-made cells are likely to survive longer overall while in circulation. This study determines for the first time whether that is true.

Further studies are needed to determine whether products manufactured in this lab are viable for clinical use.

This research will ultimately help people with sickle cell disease, those who have developed antibodies against most donor blood types, or genetic disorders in which the body is unable to make red blood cells, or the blood cells that red blood cells make do not function. It can make a difference to someone with… good.

Red blood cells are helper cells that carry oxygen from the lungs to the tissues of the body and use this oxygen to generate energy. This process also produces waste products in the form of carbon dioxide, which red blood cells take in and exhale in the lungs.

In sickle cell disease (also called sickle cell anemia), red blood cells become folded and can clog small blood vessels, causing organ damage and pain. People with sickle cell disease often require multiple blood transfusions throughout their lives.

“This world-leading research lays the groundwork for producing red blood cells that can be safely used for transfusions in people with disorders like sickle cell disease,” said a researcher on the study, NHS said Farrukh Shah, Ph.D., medical director of blood transfusions at Blood and Transplant. , said in a news release. “The need for regular blood donations to provide most blood remains. However, the potential for this research to benefit transfusion-resistant patients is very important.”

Dr. Glenn Ramsey, medical director of the blood bank at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and professor of pathology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said transfusions were very difficult and many would have benefited from treatment. said he had been treating patients with like this study.

Often, when local blood donors are not a match, he has to turn to America’s Rare Blood Donor Program. Still, suitable blood donors are not always found. In one case a few years ago on Thanksgiving, it was so difficult to find a match for one patient that blood had to be brought in from Canada by consulting global databases.

“It’s a rare and extreme example, but it’s the kind of problem that these cells are trying to solve,” said Ramsey, who was not involved with the new research.

He found the production “very exciting” and had a lot of potential.

Scientists have been working on the problem for years, he said.

“In the next few years, this may become the alternative to transfusion as we know it,” Ramsey said. “We still have a long way to go to get to that point, but the journey to see if this is feasible is definitely beginning.”

Sherrill Meyer, Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and medical director of the Emory Center for Blood Transfusion and Cell Therapy, said the experiment was a “really exciting advancement.”

She is particularly interested in the potential of lab-made red blood cells for people with sickle cell disease.

“Some of these diseases, particularly sickle cell disease, affect mostly African-American patients and have received little attention so far. We were not involved in this study.

“Very strong transfusion reactions often occur when incompatible blood is given to certain patients, particularly those with sickle cell disease and other patients who require certain types of chronic transfusion therapy.” she said.

She said the study could lay the groundwork for research into areas such as platelets, which are often so scarce. If scientists find lab-made red blood cell products last longer , may also improve quality of life for people who do not need regular blood transfusions.

“Even in 2022, we still have patients for whom there are few matching units, and the lack of matching units is delaying treatment,” said Maier. “I think it definitely has the ability to revolutionize the way we support some patients that are really difficult to support with blood products right now.”