First Humans Transfused with Lab-Grown Blood

According to an announcement by the NHS, the first humans have been transfused with lab-grown red blood cells as part of the RESTORE trial. The RESTORE trial is a randomized clinical trial in which red blood cells are grown and manufactured in the lab using donor stem cells. According to a publication by the University of Cambridge, “this is the first time in the world that red blood cells that have been grown in a laboratory have been given to another person as part of a trial into blood transfusion.”

The NHS states that the trial is a joint initiative that includes the NHS Blood and Transplant, the University of Bristol, and the University of Cambridge. The trial is funded, in part, by the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

“The trial is studying the lifespan of the lab-grown cells compared with infusions of standard red blood cells from the same donor. The lab-grown blood cells are all fresh, so the trial team expects them to perform better than a similar transfusion of standard donated red cells, which contains cells of varying ages,” stated the NHS website.

The donor cells were recruited from the NHS Blood and Transplant blood donor database to grow the red blood cells. To date, only two participants have been transfused with lab-grown blood. They have both tolerated the transfusion well, without side effects.

The NHS states that eventually, the study will transfuse ten participants twice, at least four months apart. Each transfusion involves 5–10 mL of blood.

Researchers anticipate that after additional trials and comprehensive testing, this mechanism — if proven successful and safe — could replace traditional transfusions, revolutionizing care for various blood disorders, including sickle cell disease.

According to the United States Red Cross, someone in the US will require blood or platelets every two seconds. More specifically, 29,000 units of red blood cells are needed each day. If healthcare providers could rely on lab-grown blood rather than donors, it could ease the burden of care.

In the article by the NHS, Chief Investigator Professor Cedric Ghevaert, Professor in Transfusion Medicine and Consultant Hematologist at the University of Cambridge and NHSBT, said, “we hope our lab-grown red blood cells will last longer than those that come from blood donors. If our trial, the first such in the world, is successful, it will mean that patients who currently require regular long-term blood transfusions will need fewer transfusions in the future, helping transform their care.”