Better blood! - Artificial Protein Mimics Blood

Technology Review - March 30, 2009, by Kristina Grifantini

A new man-made protein that carries oxygen could lead to artificial blood.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have constructed from scratch a protein that can do what certain proteins in the human body can: carry and deliver oxygen. This may be a useful step in developing artificial blood.

For years, scientists have tried to create components of artificial blood, in the hope that such a medical advance would circumvent problems of donor blood--such as contamination, limited storage, and short supply--and lead to easier and faster blood transfusions on the battlefield and in trauma cases.

Currently, most blood substitutes include modified versions of natural hemoglobin--the key blood component that delivers oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. But research continues because some studies have suggested that existing blood substitutes can increase the risk of heart attacks in trauma victims who have received them.

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