Tissue engineering red blood cells: a therapeutic

Abstract

The use of red blood cells (RBCs) in transfusion is widespread in modern medicine. Limitations in blood transfusion have made an urgent argument for the focus on alternatives, as particular medical treatments heavily rely on the supply of donated blood. Stem cells have been successfully used in vitro to produce RBCs and researchers are currently challenged with developing larger-scale culture methods to meet the requirements for clinically relevant cell numbers. The ultimate conditions that will be beneficial for this type of research are trivial. A successful human clinical trial has shown that tremendous progress has already been made in this field. Other alternatives are based on the oxygen carrier protein that RBCs contain, i.e. haemoglobin (Hb). Chemically defined molecules and crosslinked proteins, which are able to bind and transport oxygen, have been found to be functional in vivo. Major progress has been achieved, but developing highly suitable products for the transfusion market still remains an enormous challenge for these acellular blood substitutes. We provide a review about developing alternatives for blood transfusion, with the emphasis on tissue-engineering approaches.

Artificial Oxygen Carriers—Past, Present, and Future—a Review of the Most Innovative and Clinically Relevant Concepts

“…Differentiation of SCs into RBC Concentrates. The major challenges to using SCs are the low retention and engraftment of transplanted cells and the adverse effects of inflammation and immunoreactions when allogeneic or xenogeneic cells are used (Van Veen and Hunt, 2015). Giarratana et al (2011) elucidated the quality of donated hematopoietic SCs from human donors that were developed in culture into RBC concentrates in a proof-of-concept study.…”

Oxygen Regulation in Development: Lessons from Embryogenesis towards Tissue Engineering

“…This value can be much higher, up to 44 mM, for PFCs like bis(perfluorobutyl)ethene, representing a 20-fold increase over O 2 solubility in water alone [Lowe et al, 1998]. There is considerable interest in using PFCs as O 2 carriers in a variety of tissue engineering applications and as blood substitutes [Veen and Hunt, 2015; Santiesteban et al, 2016].…”

Erythrocyte‐Inspired Functional Materials for Biomedical Applications

“…They are free of infectious agents, prolong shelf-life, and are independent of the recipient blood type. [217] The safe and affordable HBOCs have a promising potential on tissue perfusion and oxygenation for reconditioning of kidney grafts and pretransplant assessment. HbV with high biocompatibility, pathogen free, and high stability in vitro and in vivo are most anticipated in overcoming current obstacles of blood transfusion, especially the vesicles derived from erythrocyte membrane.…”