Scientists from Bristol University in UK say they have found way to mass produce blood that would be suitable for patients who need it in hospitals. For number of years, they have been able to produce red blood cells in laboratory. However, process to do that was very slow and they could not produce lot of blood. new technique means scientists can make "unlimited supply" of blood. Researcher Dr Jan Frayne said: "Previous approaches to producing red blood cells have relied on various sources of stem cells which can only presently produce very limited quantities." She added: "We have demonstrated feasible way to sustainably manufacture red cells for clinical use."
Professor David Anstee, another of researchers, told BBC that his team has found way to mass produce blood, but they now need technology to actually do this on large scale. He said: "There is bioengineering challenge. To produce that much [blood] is quite challenge….The next phase of our work is to look at methods of [producing more]." He told reporters that to begin with, they would produce only rare types of blood, as these can be difficult to find with traditional blood donation sources. He said: " first therapeutic use of cultured red cell product is likely to be for patients with rare blood groups, because suitable conventional red blood cell donations can be difficult to source."
