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Erythrocytes from a test tube have successfully taken root in the human body
Last reviewed: 30.06.2025
Red blood cells grown in artificial conditions from blood stem cells mature and take root normally in a person after being reintroduced into the body.
Red blood cells from a test tube successfully take root in the human body, which was first demonstrated by a group of researchers from several French research institutes. The scientists' experiment consisted of the following: they took hematopoietic cells from an adult and grew them in an artificial environment, directing their development towards red blood cells.
All our blood cells originate from common stem cells that hide in the bone marrow and thymus. They produce leukocytes, thrombocytes, and erythrocytes. Under experimental conditions, stem cells can be “fed” with certain regulatory proteins, growth factors that will launch a particular differentiation program in the precursor cells.
The situation is complicated by the fact that, as it is believed, in a test tube, cells can only mature to a certain level, not completely. The researchers' hypothesis was that such immature red blood cells would "make it" in the body. Preliminary experiments on mice confirmed the correctness of the assumption: red blood cells successfully completed their development after being introduced into the animals' bodies. Then the scientists decided to test the results in clinical trials.
The red blood cells grown from human stem cells were injected back into the same donor. Five days after the injection of the “artificial” red blood cells, 94–100% remained alive, and about half after 26 days. Considering that the half-life of normal red blood cells in human blood is 28 days, the result is close to ideal. It should be emphasized that no one has yet tested whether such red blood cells will survive after being injected back into the body, or whether they will conflict with its defense systems. The researchers describe the results of the experiment in detail in the journal Blood.
The data that artificially produced red blood cells successfully take root in the human body appeared at the right time. Doctors have been very concerned lately: blood banks are starting to run out, the World Health Organization reports that the number of donors in many countries is less than 1% of the entire population. In general, the results of the French researchers will certainly help solve the problem with donors, and in some cases relieve doctors of the headache associated with the compatibility of donor blood.
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