Lab-grown blood breakthrough to 'revolutionise treatments' for conditions like leukaemia
Scientists can now grow embryo-like structures that produce human blood cells, creating new possibilities for regenerative medicine to treat conditions such as leukaemia.
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The lab-grown embryo model could help researchers produce blood stem cells for transplants, screen drugs and understand blood disorders.
The ability to generate blood stem cells in the laboratory may one day make it possible to treat patients in need of bone marrow transplants using their own cells.
The human stem cells used to grow the embryo-like structures can be created from any cell in the body. In theory this could allow scientists to artificially produce blood that is fully compatible with a patient’s own body.
The breakthrough is the latest in a rapidly advancing area of medical science in which embryo models are created from stem cells without the need for eggs or sperm.
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Although other methods exist for generating human blood stem cells in the laboratory, these require complex mixtures of extra proteins to support the stem cells’ growth and development.
This new method mirrors the natural developmental process.
“It was an exciting moment when the blood-red colour appeared in the dish – it was visible even to the naked eye,” said Dr Jitesh Neupane, a researcher at the University of Cambridge’s Gurdon Institute and first author of the study.
“Although it is still in the early stages, the ability to produce human blood cells in the lab marks a significant step towards future regenerative therapies – which use a patient’s own cells to repair and regenerate damaged tissues,” said Prof Azim Surani at the Gurdon Institute.
There are clear regulations governing stem cell-based models of human embryos, and all research modelling human embryo development must be approved by ethics committees before proceeding.
The scientists have patented this work, which was funded primarily by Wellcome. The Cambridge Enterprise, which is innovation arm of the University of Cambridge, helps researchers make their work economically and socially impactful.