Stem Cells Used for Making Red Blood Cells
One seldomly discussed possibility for embryonic stem cell development is the use of the cells to produce red blood cells. These red blood cells would be useful in transfusions when donors are in short supply, and they can, ideally, be engineered free of diseases. In the cases of stem cell use for Parkinson's disease or diabetes, the cells have to be produced to function in the body and be compatible with all the other tissues it interacts with. This is a hindrance in the implementation of these specific cells in actual animals. However, when dealing with red blood cells, it is much easier to produce them to be compatible with individual blood types.
A few complications that scientists have run into with this research have to do with the volume that must be produced for one transfusion, the cost of creating these cells, and the method in which genes are inserted into skin cells to produce red blood cells. For one unit of blood, there are over a trillion blood cells, and the most red blood cells that have been produced so far is 10 to 100 billion. This fact directly corresponds with the cost factor; donated blood is, obviously, free, and trying to justify paying for stem cell-produced blood when there is the previous option is simply not worth it at this time. One group that would willingly pay for these blood cells, however, is the military, for scientists have yet to find an efficient way to accumulate blood for transfusions on the battlefield. Another reason why scientists still find this method of accumulating blood for transfusions is the way in which the stem cells are differentiated to form red blood cells. The current method used is a adding genes to skin cells by way of a virus. This is risky because the virus and the genes can be cancer-causing agents, but one scientist assumes that since the cells have no nuclei, they will not carry cancer in them.
This research is still in the "in vitro" stage, so scientists are still unsure of the actual effects artificially produced red blood cells will have in living organisms.
Jeehyun Park
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/09/health/09bloo.html?ref=science
A few complications that scientists have run into with this research have to do with the volume that must be produced for one transfusion, the cost of creating these cells, and the method in which genes are inserted into skin cells to produce red blood cells. For one unit of blood, there are over a trillion blood cells, and the most red blood cells that have been produced so far is 10 to 100 billion. This fact directly corresponds with the cost factor; donated blood is, obviously, free, and trying to justify paying for stem cell-produced blood when there is the previous option is simply not worth it at this time. One group that would willingly pay for these blood cells, however, is the military, for scientists have yet to find an efficient way to accumulate blood for transfusions on the battlefield. Another reason why scientists still find this method of accumulating blood for transfusions is the way in which the stem cells are differentiated to form red blood cells. The current method used is a adding genes to skin cells by way of a virus. This is risky because the virus and the genes can be cancer-causing agents, but one scientist assumes that since the cells have no nuclei, they will not carry cancer in them.
This research is still in the "in vitro" stage, so scientists are still unsure of the actual effects artificially produced red blood cells will have in living organisms.
Jeehyun Park
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/09/health/09bloo.html?ref=science
posted by Jeehyun Park at 9:34 PM
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