BIOL1121 UNIT3 Discussion : The Future of Synthetic Blood

 

 

Discussion Requirements

In your assigned reading this week you have learned further about the relationship between the structure and function of biological molecules and how this is important in cellular organization.

A single eukaryotic cell not only has a membrane bound nucleus, but also numerous membrane bound organelles.  These organelles support the many varied activities that a cell is required to carry out, but also add to the complexity of the intracellular environment.   There has recently been an upsurge in the interest around constructing artificial cells, or cell like materials for pharmacological research or possibly even medical treatments.

Keeping in mind the relationship between structure and function, discuss the potential uses of artificial cells and/or cell like materials and whether you consider them to be a good substitute for the natural versions.

For a simple example, a scientist may wish to study a membrane receptor protein, but in isolation from peripheral influences, so it is possible to generate a simple lipid bilayer that mimics the function of a cell membrane, containing that protein of interest.  There it can be studied in the presence or absence of any secondary components the scientist wishes to include.  A more complex answer might be to discuss the use of synthetic blood as a replacement for blood donors.

You will need to search the internet for your own examples and part of this assignment is to help you practice finding and digesting pertinent information, but the following links are a good place to start:

• Wiesauer, M., & Knör, G. (2019). Towards artificial cells for biomedical applications [PDF].Biomedical Research and Clinical Practice, 4(3). https://doi.org/10.15761/brcp.1000189. Retrieved from https://www.oatext.com/towards-artificial-cells-for-biomedical-applications.php
• Xu, C., Hu, S., & Chen, X. (2016). Artificial cells: From basic science to applications [PDF]. Materials Today, 19(9), 516-532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mattod.2016.02.020. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369702116000699

 

 

 

 

 

There are good substitutes instead of natural blood these days, and synthetic blood is already using for animal treatment in my country. What is synthetic blood? How does it work in our body? Is it possible to use it also for the human body?  I will describe those in this discussion assignment.

 

What is synthetic blood? How does it work in our body? One of the essential functions of blood is oxygen-carrying, and human red blood cells, especially Hemoglobin, are in charge of this system. Winslow says the goal of synthetic blood is "to maintain the Hb concentration (a surrogate for oxygen availability) at some acceptable level until the patient's bone marrow can regenerate red cells on its own" (2006, para.25). They are also saying synthetic blood would be helpful as natural blood in where blood may not be immediately available, such as in ambulances or during times of overwhelming need, such as disasters (Winslow, 2006).

 

"Donor-derived blood products suffer from many logistical challenges including a shortage in supply due to limited donor availability, need for type matching, high risks of pathogenic contamination, limited portability and shelf-life, and various biological side effects" (Gupta, 2021, para.1). There are many merits of using synthetic blood. First, there is no blood type on synthetic blood. Therefore, it can eliminate the blood type check step before blood transfusions are examined each time in the medical field, and also it helps prevent medical errors. Second, Synthetic blood has no source of infection, no worries about infectivity. Third, it solves the problem of limited portability and shelf life. Some synthetic blood products for animal treatment can store indoors for two years.

 

But, the development of synthetic blood for humans has not been used for practicality yet because of many issues. The first-generation products caused fatal vasoconstriction due to the well-known propensity of Hb to bind nitric oxide (NO), and it has cast a long shadow on this field (Winslow, 2006). Research shows the second-generation products are designed specifically to provide oxygen to ischemic or hypoxic tissue, and some of the products have surprisingly counterintuitive properties, but still it faces the problems of clinical trials (Winslow, 2006). Most patients who participate in clinical trials of synthetic blood are older with more cardiovascular risk factors than those in the trials in trauma patients, and serious cardiovascular adverse experiences are occurring frequently (Winslow, 2006).

 

I believe that it is necessary to continue to challenge the problems of synthetic blood and realize its practical application when considering the potential risks of donor-derived blood products. It may be long before artificial blood saves many lives, but I believe that synthetic blood will be used as safe as medicine for treatment one day.

 

 

 

References

Gupta, A. S. (2021). Synthetic Blood Substitutes. Trauma Induced Coagulopathy, 719-743. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-53606-0_43

 

Winslow, R. M. (2006). Current status of oxygen carriers ('blood substitutes'): 2006. Vox sanguinis, 91(2), 102-110. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1423-0410.2006.00789.x