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wilbur
08-21-2008, 08:15 AM
Scientists have used embryonic stem cells to generate blood -- a feat that could eventually lead to endless supplies of type O-negative blood, a rare blood type prized by doctors for its versatility.

"We literally generated whole tubes in the lab, from scratch," said Robert Lanza, chief science officer at Advanced Cell Technologies.

People usually require blood transfusions that match their own blood type: A mismatch can be fatal. Type O-negative can be safely transferred into anyone, but is only possessed by about 7 percent of the population, leaving supplies perpetually short.

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But because blood cells are short-lived and cannot divide, there's reason to believe that stem cell-derived blood cells could pose fewer complications than other therapeutic stem cells, which can divide unpredictably.

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But Lanza said his technique could also work with stem cells produced by de-differentiation, a new and ethically trouble-free process during which adult cells regress into an embryonic state.

De-differentiated cells have a tendency to go cancerous -- but because blood cells are DNA-free, said Lanza, they could be safe in this particular application.


http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/08/universal-blood.html

Cool stuff... maybe I won't have to donate blood anymore... someday.
LibraryLady
08-21-2008, 08:18 AM
I saw this article too and was fascinated. I gave blood for years until my diagnosis and then wasn't allowed to anymore.

I feel cord blood has tremendous potential.
Goldwater
08-21-2008, 09:12 AM
Ah, the miracles of science.
jinxmchue
08-21-2008, 12:53 PM
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/08/universal-blood.html

Cool stuff... maybe I won't have to donate blood anymore... someday.

Yeah, all we have to do is slaughter scores of human beings at the earliest stages of development. Better to do that than actually sacrifice something yourself.
Goldwater
08-21-2008, 01:12 PM
Yeah, all we have to do is slaughter scores of human beings at the earliest stages of development. Better to do that than actually sacrifice something yourself.

There are other ways to get stem cells besides the foetus. I'd hope you'd know.
wilbur
08-21-2008, 01:53 PM
There are other ways to get stem cells besides the foetus. I'd hope you'd know.

Although it is the easiest way, AFIAK
linda22003
08-21-2008, 01:57 PM
It's nowhere NEAR being a fetus at the stem-cell stage; it's still a blastocyst.

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/images/2008/01/17/blastocyst.gif
wilbur
08-21-2008, 02:03 PM
Yeah, all we have to do is slaughter scores of human beings at the earliest stages of development. Better to do that than actually sacrifice something yourself.

Call me crazy.. but... destroying one of these doesnt count as murder.

http://www1.umn.edu/umnnews/img/assets/11500/blastocyst.jpg
nacho
08-21-2008, 03:27 PM
Originally Posted by jinxmchue
Yeah, all we have to do is slaughter scores of human beings at the earliest stages of development. Better to do that than actually sacrifice something yourself.


There are other ways to get stem cells besides the foetus. I'd hope you'd know.


Scientists have used embryonic stem cells to generate blood -- a feat that could eventually lead to endless supplies of type O-negative blood, a rare blood type prized by doctors for its versatility.

This procedure seems, at this point, to be focused on embryonic stem cells.