A before and following in medical care is just around the corner. Recently, for the first time in history, a transfusion of laboratory-grown red blood cells was performed, a technique that, if developed, might be a viable solution to blood donation.
The manufactured blood cells were grown from donor stem cells. If this clinical trial, called RESTOREdemonstrates its safety and efficacy, manufactured blood cells might eventually revolutionize treatments for people with blood disorders such as sickle cell disease and rare blood typesas it can be difficult to find enough matched donated blood for some people with these disorders.
“The RESTORE trial is a joint research initiative of NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and the University of Bristol, in collaboration with the University of Cambridge, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Cambridge Clinical Research Facility, and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust”, explains the British National Health Service (NHS) in a statement.
“Though it is the first time that blood has been cultured in a laboratory, it is not the first innovation of its kind”explains Adam Taylor, Professor and Director of the Clinical Anatomy Learning Center at Lancaster University.Lancashire, England.
“Scientists have been using laboratory models for years to investigate from the functioning of organs and tissues to the understanding of pathological processes and the test of new treatments”, added the specialist.
In this sense, recent advances have been called “organoides”which are increasingly common in research.
“Organoids closely resemble the structure and function of life-size human organs. This allows researchers to study how many different diseases or viruses can affect human health. They also provide a better understanding of stem cells (from which they grow), which can become almost any cell in the body.”adds Taylor.
Organoid brains have helped scientists understand the devastating effect of the virus Zika in brain development. They are also playing a broader key role in understanding different neurological conditions, such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
One of the main advantages is that they allow researchers to observe, in real time, any changes that occur in the brain as they happen, something that is not possible with humans.
“Organoid hearts have also been grown successfully in the laboratory. After a week of development, they are functionally equivalent to the heart of a 25-day-old embryo, capable of beating between 60 and 100 times per minute. Recent advances have also made it possible to grow heart cells from stem cells, paving the way for larger, more efficient heart organs to be grown.says Taylor.
