Japanese scientists have developed a new type of artificial blood that can be used in patients of any blood type.

The artificial blood is created by extracting hemoglobin — a protein containing iron that facilitates the transportation of oxygen in red blood cells — from expired donor blood. It is then encased in a protective shell to create stable, virus-free artificial red blood cells. As these artificial cells have no blood type, there is no need for compatibility testing. The synthetic blood can reportedly be stored for up to two years at room temperature and five years under refrigeration.

  • JackDark@lemmy.worldEnglish
    83·
    22 days ago

    The artificial blood is created from expired donor blood, so we still have to keep donating blood, but it increases the shelf life from 42 days refrigerated to 2 years at room temp, which is pretty amazing. Studies began in 2022.

    • WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.worldEnglish
      48·
      22 days ago

      But also compatibility is now irrelevant. It’s like everyone who donates is a universal blood type.

      • runner_g@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
        11·
        22 days ago

        It’s up cycled blood. They take hemoglobin from expired blood (the part that actually carries the oxygen) and wrap it in an artificial cell that lacks the proteins related to blood type. This allows it to be accepted by all people.

  • conditional_soup@lemm.eeEnglish
    56·
    22 days ago

    This is fuckin huge if it turns out to be a winner. I mean, almost on the level of the discovery of penicillin big. I did 15 years in EMS, and the single biggest problem in Trauma care is the lack of blood substitutes. Once those blood cells leave the body, that’s it, they’re gone, and either you’ve got replacement blood or you don’t. Artificial blood has been one of the holy grail pursuits of medicine for decades, and we’ve had many, many dead ends with it. Hopefully they’ve cracked it.

  • Olgratin_Magmatoe@startrek.websiteEnglish
    27·
    22 days ago

    Here’s what it looks like:

    Amazing accomplishment. Though, does anybody else think it looked like somebody mixed some pepto bismal in a blood bag? I find it a little funny.

    • hedge_lord@lemmy.worldEnglish
      5·
      21 days ago

      No not at all why would you think that? Vampires are not real and we certainly do not use the internet.