Successful in developing modified hemoglobin, the age of artificial blood has already come

movies"TwilightIn the series, "Vegetarian" vampires that only drink animal's blood appeared, and the popular American TV series "True Blood"It seems that Japanese scientists have developed synthetic blood, but in the real world exploration of artificial blood and blood substitutes has a long history.

Research by Essex University seems to have made a turning point for the development of artificial blood. Even if a vampire is really there, the era where it can coexist with humanity in peace may be right there.

Details are as below.Search for an artificial blood substitute

The development of artificial blood is a big business and it seems that costs of more than 1 billion pounds (about 150 billion yen) have been spent in the past 20 years. Currently, hospitals around the world use more than 75 million packed blood donation per year, but concerns about securing supply and safety are increasing year by year. Ideal blood substitutes have long storage term, do not need to be kept in hospital, can be used regardless of the blood type of the patient who needs blood transfusion and that there will be no worries about any virus contamination is.

Among the materials that have been used as materials for the development of blood substitutes so far include chemical substances used in the manufacture of atomic bombs, blood of bovines, blood cultured in bacteria, and the like. All these attempts, however, did not lead to the development of safe artificial blood to replace human blood.

SpecialhemoglobinRecently filed an international patent ofEssex UniversityResearchers may have taken the position to lead the world's artificial blood development competition one step.

According to Professor Chris Cooper, a biochemist at the University of Essex, hemoglobin is the cause of artificial blood failures so far. Hemoglobin is a protein in erythrocytes that has the role of carrying oxygen in the body, but hemoglobin is poisonous to the human body when put out of the blood cell.

Normally, hemoglobin changes from vivid red color to red purple color like Bordeaux wine while carrying oxygen in the body. However, when hemoglobin is damaged, iron seems to oxidize and become a green or brown substance (so-called rust) which does not function.

The hemoglobin patent pending by Cooper et al. Is said to have succeeded in lowering this toxicity.

"Free from hemoglobinFree radicalIt hurts the heart, the kidneys, etc. "Professor Cooper says. "Modifying hemoglobin to serve as an important task of lowering toxicity and carrying oxygen is the key to developing artificial blood."


Vampire horror episode just released recently in the United Kingdom and the United States "DaybreakersIn the setting that both human beings and vampires are extinct together, the development of artificial blood is a battle with time. In reality there is no dramatic development so far, but development competition seems to continue day and night.