Plastic Blood: Life Saver or Science Fiction?

Only one hundred years ago, the invention of plastic revolutionised the technological industries.  Now, it dominates our everyday lives and we are being encouraged to limit its use in a bid to save the planet!  But could plastic now hold life-saving potential?

Scientists, led by Dr. Lance Twyman, at The University of Sheffield, have produced a substance that mimics haemoglobin[1].  The polymer contains an iron-centred porphyrin that can reversibly bind to oxygen; a structure that has proved lengthy and expensive to manufacture in previous trials but one that can now be constructed in just one synthetic step.[2]  These ‘hyperbranched polymers’ come in the form of a red paste and can be easily and cheaply transported, offering the potential of not only fluid replacement, but also reduction of end organ damage, due to its oxygen binding capacity.

The new blood also has considerable benefits over the use of human, donated, blood:  firstly, it does not fall prey to the 35 day shelf life of human blood and does not require re-fridgerated storage conditions.  This may combat complications of hypothermia when administering large quantities of blood, as well as meaning it could be carried on ambulances and within the backpacks of soldiers at war.  Dr. Twyman says, “One of the holy grails of medicine is to have completely synthetic blood, as there are always shortages.”[3]

In addition, synthetic blood will not be type specific, meaning it can be transfused to all patients, regardless of their blood grouping[5]; thus eliminating the potentially fatal sequelae from errors of this kind.  Blood made from plastic also holds potential surgical advantage in the treatment of patients with certain religious or ethical beliefs.

To date, testing using ultra-violet spectroscopy, suggests the substance may last for five oxygenation-deoxygenation cycles[6] but there have been no tests, as yet, to demonstrate how this material will respond once inside the human body.  Twyman also infers a potential financial benefit in large-scale production, compared to the £100 per unit cost to the NHS of human blood, requiring testing and careful storage.[7]

So, could this mean an end to human blood donation and national shortages?  The answer is not yet.  Human blood donation will continue to provide life-saving treatment to thousands of patients each year[8] and will still be crucial in the supply of other blood components.  Synthetic blood may one day, however, offer an alternative means of treating victims of haemorrhage, as well as reduce the strain placed during natural disasters, critical incidents and war, enabling the transfusion of haemoglobin in settings that may currently be inaccessible.

This technology is currently being exhibited at The Science Museum and is one Dr. Twyman hopes to see in medical practise within the next ten years.  It seems, therefore, that in the next decade, we may not only find ourselves surrounded by plastic technology but may also find in coursing through our bodies too.

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