Artificial Blood

artificial (ɑːtɪˈfɪʃ(ə)l) : made or produced by humans, rather than occurring naturally.

blood (blʌd) : the red liquid that flows in the blood vessels of mammals.

When we consider these two definitions, the very concept of artificial blood should seem somewhat impossible. After all, blood is something that is composed of living cells; and we know that it's not possible to synthesize life in a laboratory from a completely artificial material, or materials. 

One can immediately see the benefits of artificial blood. In the military, there are several soldiers who die because of blood loss, or donated blood expiring and therefore not being procured on time. What's more, 31% of deaths due to trauma are due to blood loss. In my opinion, the kind of artificial blood required is that which can be stored for an indefinite period of time, be produced and procured on demand in an economically viable manner, and safely prolong a patient's life up to the point where it may be stabilized, with no side effects from doing so.

At first glance, it seems difficult indeed. But wait! Aren't we forgetting something here? Indeed we are. Blood's main function is transport of oxygen- which is done not by living cells, but by a protein called haemoglobin, present in erythrocytes or red blood cells. And it is possible to extract this compound from several other living creatures in order to produce liquids that can be substituted for blood.

That's exactly what a company called HbO2 Therapeutics, presided over by Zafiris Zafirelis, produces. It is in charge of a haemoglobin-based oxygen carrier (HBOC) called Hemopure, which has saved over two thousand lives till date. It can be stored in backpacks, bottles and helicopters for years without spoiling. It can be also infused rapidly in the ailing one. As is stated by the Royal Society of Chemistry, the aim is not to produce 'blood', but a 'substitute of blood'- and Hemopure is just that, right?

So why hasn't the Food and Drink Association (FDA) approved HBOCs for use yet in the US of A, or Europe?

Simple-  they, according to a study, greatly increase the chances of having a heart attack. Due to these findings, the FDA became extremely cautious about marketing HBOCs, because of which Hemopure and its parent company Biopure, nearly went bankrupt. There is light at the end of the tunnel however, as the FDA is beginning to change its stance on prioritizing safety over efficacy, and is thus starting to consider Hemopure as something viable for saving lives in the future.

On a completely different angle, scientists from the University of Bristol have developed a line of immortal stem cells, called Bristol Erythroid Line Adult or BEL-A cells. To create these cells, they have trapped them in an early stage of development- allowing them to produce cells indefinitely. Another way to make these cells immortal was to inject cancerous cells into them; given that RBCs don't have nuclei it wouldn't be transferred to them.

With solutions like these, artificial blood is becoming more of a possibility in the near future. All we have to is wait for the solution to arrive- and then artificial blood shall become a marketable reality.