Faced with a growing shortage of blood on a global scale due to the decrease in donors. Science is exploring innovative alternatives such as the creation of “universal artificial blood”. On this path, Japan is conducting clinical trials to test the use of “laboratory-created blood”.
According to Red Cross data, in the last 20 years the number of donors participating through the humanitarian institution has fallen by approximately 40 percent. For this reason, the laboratory led by Professor Hiromi Sakai is evaluating a version of artificial blood that can be used for all blood groups and can be preserved for up to two years. This proposal seeks to offer a concrete answer to the critical shortage of blood for medical emergencies and chronic treatments worldwide.
Although Japan is not the first country to develop this type of research – tests have also been carried out in the United States and the United Kingdom – its advances are part of a renewed interest in the scientific community to address the effects of the blood shortage, notes Newsweek.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 118 million blood donations are recorded each year, but 40 percent come from high-income countries, where only 16 percent of the world’s population lives. This shows that a large part of the planet has limited access to transfusions, an essential resource for saving lives.
The possibility of universal, long-lasting artificial blood could revolutionize medical care around the world. Especially in emergency settings such as surgery, childbirth and accidents, where lack of supply causes millions of preventable deaths, particularly in countries with limited resources.
THE NEXT STAGE OF “LAB-CREATED BLOOD”.
The trial at Nara Medical University in Japan administered between 100 and 400 milliliters of artificial blood to 16 healthy adult volunteers in March, according to local media outlet Kyodo News.
The next stage will be to examine the efficacy and safety of the treatment, if no side effects were reported after the transfusions. Sakai’s laboratory reported on its site that the artificial blood would solve the problems present in the traditional donation system, “including the possibility of infection, blood type incompatibility, immune response and short shelf life that is insufficient for storage in emergency situations.”
This artificial blood was created by extracting hemoglobin – the oxygen-carrying molecule – from expired donor blood (three weeks old) and encapsulating it in a lipid layer.
Known as hemoglobin vesicles, these particles mimic natural red blood cells and can efficiently transport oxygen. In addition, they contain no blood-type markers, making them universally compatible and virus-free.
In context, the article is based on a 2022 trial in Japan, when artificial hemoglobin vesicles were tested to determine whether they carry oxygen in the same way that red blood cells do. Participants in the study experienced minor side effects, such as fever and rash, which resolved quickly.
Today, Nara Medical University plans to move forward from voluntary safety trials to broader efficacy studies, “seeking clinical approval and practical launch of its universal artificial blood by 2030,” according to Kyodo News.
With information from Newsweek
Translated by Aliani Rojas Fernandez
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