Self-Transfusion Will Eventually Replace Blood Donation
Omar Yusuf — September 7, 2011 — Unique
References: bloodjournal.hematologylibrary.org & io9
In lieu of blood transfers between donors and hospital patients, researchers at the University of Paris will use a process called self-transfusion.
Although the idea is conceptually simple, its execution might send your head for a spin. Using a patient's hematopoietic stem cells, Luc Douay and his colleagues at the Sorbonne have managed to fabricate billions of red blood cells in a culture and subsequently inject them back into the body of the donor. Astonishingly, the survival rate and lifespan of the cultured cells was almost at parity with the patient's natural blood. Moreover, because the newly formed cells originated in the patient, the body doesn't treat them as foreign objects, meaning that the typical regime of anti-rejection medication was unnecessary.
According to the World Health Organization, the number of willing blood donors has steadily decreased, whereas the need for donated blood continues to rise. This new product could move the blood-giving industry away from its charity-based roots and into a competitive marketplace.
Although the idea is conceptually simple, its execution might send your head for a spin. Using a patient's hematopoietic stem cells, Luc Douay and his colleagues at the Sorbonne have managed to fabricate billions of red blood cells in a culture and subsequently inject them back into the body of the donor. Astonishingly, the survival rate and lifespan of the cultured cells was almost at parity with the patient's natural blood. Moreover, because the newly formed cells originated in the patient, the body doesn't treat them as foreign objects, meaning that the typical regime of anti-rejection medication was unnecessary.
According to the World Health Organization, the number of willing blood donors has steadily decreased, whereas the need for donated blood continues to rise. This new product could move the blood-giving industry away from its charity-based roots and into a competitive marketplace.
Trend Themes
1. Self-transfusion - The application of self-transfusion has disruptive innovation potential in the healthcare industry by eliminating the reliance on blood donations.
2. Fabrication of Red Blood Cells - The ability to fabricate billions of red blood cells in a culture presents a disruptive innovation opportunity in the biomedical industry, revolutionizing blood transfusion practices.
3. Decrease in Blood Donors - The decreasing number of willing blood donors creates a disruptive innovation opportunity for businesses in the healthcare industry to develop sustainable alternatives like self-transfusion.
Industry Implications
1. Healthcare - The healthcare industry can explore the implementation of self-transfusion to disrupt traditional blood donation systems and meet the rising demand for donated blood.
2. Biomedical - The biomedical industry can leverage the fabrication of red blood cells in a culture to revolutionize blood transfusion practices and improve patient outcomes.
3. Charity-based Blood-giving - The charity-based blood-giving industry can embrace disruptive innovation by transitioning into a competitive marketplace through the adoption of sustainable alternatives like self-transfusion.
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