The team, led by Hiromi Sakai from Nara Medical University, is proud of the progress made in their research. For three years, the Japanese have been intensively developing artificial blood, and this spring they conducted the first tests. The blood they created was transfused this spring into the first participant in the clinical trial - an important step on the way to obtaining a permit, which they hope to receive by 2030, writes the German public media ARD.
The artificial preparation contains real red blood cells and should completely replace human blood, transporting oxygen in the body, the scientists explain.
Tolerability and safety are the key issues
The principle is similar to that of the well-known mRNA vaccines against coronaviruses: the researchers extract hemoglobin from real donated blood that has expired. They then package it in a lipid shell - these are small fat globules filled with hemoglobin protein. Thus, the artificial blood must ultimately be compatible - regardless of the patient's blood type.
The compatibility and safety of hemoglobin are the crux of the issue in the development of universal artificial blood. Free hemoglobin can be very dangerous for the body, explains transfusion medicine doctor Torsten Thon in an interview with ARD from Tokyo: "It can cause severe kidney damage and narrowing of the blood vessels. This can lead to organ failure and even death." Nevertheless, the Japanese project certainly has the potential to significantly improve the situation with the provision of sufficient blood and transfusion activity, Thon is convinced.
Use after accidents or in war zones
The blood substitute could be very useful where there is usually a lot of blood loss - in military conflicts or after serious accidents. Synthetic blood could be used immediately and directly at the scene of an accident, which was not possible until now, as blood type and compatibility usually have to be checked first, explains the ARD. In addition, the artificial product can be stored for two years at room temperature, and a full five years in a refrigerator. This could radically change the situation, especially in remote parts of the world.
Blood shortage is an increasingly urgent problem
New opportunities will also arise in the field of organ donation. The life of transplanted organs could be significantly extended with the help of artificial blood, and research in this area has been carried out for years.
Blood shortage is an increasingly urgent problem - in view of the growing world population and limited access to blood transfusions, especially in less developed countries. In Japan, the number of donors is also decreasing significantly due to demographic changes. And universal blood could significantly improve the global supply.
Research with stem cells too
At the same time, researchers are also working on cultivating stem cells that produce human blood in the bone marrow. If this proves successful, this method will bring us as close as possible to donating human blood - much closer than the product developed by Japanese scientists under the leadership of Hiromi Sakai. Then the problem of free hemoglobin will also be solved.
Until then, however, blood donation with real human blood remains indispensable for modern medicine, the ARD also points out.
Author: Torsten Ifland (ARD)