Two people in the UK have been the first in the world to receive transfusions of lab-grown red blood cells.
The two are healthy volunteers in the RESTORE trial, a first-of-its-kind clinical trial taking place at Addenbrooke Hospital in Cambridge. The study will include at least 10 participantseach of whom will receive a transfusion of about one to two teaspoons of lab-grown red blood cells.
The volunteers donated blood for the trial and the stem cells were separated from their blood. These stem cells were then cultured to produce red blood cells in a laboratory at the NHS Blood and Transplant Advanced Therapies Unit in Bristol. Subsequently, the red blood cells were transfused into volunteers.
It is anticipated that a minimum of 10 participants will receive two minitransfusions at least four months apart, one of donated standard red blood cells and one of lab-grown red blood cells, to find out if young red blood cells made in the lab last longer than cells made in the lab.
The goal of the trial is to compare whether these lab-grown cells survive in the body compared to standard red blood cells from a donor. Therefore, each trial participant will receive two mini-transfusions, one with standard cells and one with laboratory-grown cells, spaced four months apart. The order of the transfusions will be random.
This is the first time in the world that red blood cells grown in a laboratory have been given to another person.
If proven safe and effective, the manufactured blood cells could, in time, revolutionize treatments for people with blood disorders such as sickle cell anemia and rare blood types. Don’t forget that there is a shortage of compatible blood donations for some people with these disorders.
The trial is studying the lifespan of lab-grown cells compared to standard red blood cell infusions from the same donor.
The goal of the trial is to compare whether these lab-grown cells survive in the body compared to standard red blood cells from a donor
Also, if the cells made stay in the body longer, patients who need blood regularly may not need transfusions as often. That would reduce iron overload from blood transfusions, which can lead to serious complications.
The trial is the first step in making lab-grown red blood cells available as a future clinical product.
«We expect our lab-grown red blood cells to last longer than those from blood donors. If our trial, the first of its kind in the world, is successful, it will mean that patients who currently require regular long-term blood transfusions will need fewer transfusions in the future, helping to transform their care.” , Cedric Ghevaert, of the University of Cambridge.
In the future, the manufactured cells could only be used for a very small number of patients with very complex transfusion needs.
For Ashley Toye, teacher of Cell Biology at the University of Bristol this trial “is a great springboard to make blood from stem cells. This is the first time lab-cultured blood from an allogeneic donor has been transfused and we are excited to see how the cells perform at the end of the clinical trial.”