Scots team hopes for breakthrough with synthetic blood tests

Published on Monday 23 March 2009 21:05

SCOTS scientists are hoping to create unlimited supplies of synthetic human blood from embryonic stem cells.

The breakthrough could result from a research project set to take place over the next three years.

The scientists believe they may find a way to provide an unlimited supply of blood for emergency transfusions, free of infections such as the human form of mad cow disease.

Professor Marc Turner from the University of Edinburgh, who is director of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service, will lead the project.

He said: "We should have proof of principle in the next few years, but a realistic treatment is probably five to ten years away.

"In principle, we could provide an unlimited supply of blood in this way."

Ultimately, portable blood banks could be set up, for use at the scene of an emergency or disaster.

Prof Turner's team will test human embryos left over from IVF to find those destined to develop into the universal O-negative blood donor group.

O-negative blood can be transfused into anyone without fear of tissue rejection and it is the only safe option when a patient's blood group is unknown or not immediately available. However, this blood is in limited supply because only 7 per cent of the population belongs to this group.

The Wellcome Trust is understood to have promised 3 million towards the cost of the multi-million-pound project, with further funding coming from the blood transfusion services of Scotland, England and Wales.

Prof Turner said the work would begin in the next few weeks after final approval had been gained from the relevant research bodies. Scientists have already shown it is possible to take a single stem cell from an early human embryo and encourage it to develop into mature blood cells in the lab.

And a US firm called Advanced Cell Technology has managed to produce billions of red blood cells from embryonic blood cells in this way.

The challenge will be to scale up the production and move the science from the laboratory to the bedside. This is likely to take many years.

A spokesman for the Scottish Stem Cell Network said: "This a great project and a great idea.

"It shows every sign of being able to deliver embryonic stem cell technology developments to the clinic rapidly."

However, some groups believe it is unethical to destroy embryos in the name of science.

Josephine Quintavalle, a co-founder of the pressure group Comment on Reproductive Ethics, said: "Like so many of the claims associated with embryonic stem cells, this is first-steps research rather than a cure around the corner, and just as hypothetical as the rest of the claims which try to justify destroying the human embryo for the benefit of mankind."