There’s hematology news today, x 2 (at least):
flexible hydrogel particles resembling RBCs in size and shape (Credit: Timothy Merkel and Joseph DeSimone, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
1. Progress in developing synthetic red blood cells -
A University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill-based research group has created hydrogel particles that mimic the size, shape and flexibility of red blood cells (RBCs). The researchers used PRINT® (Particle Replication in Non-wetting Templates) technology to generate the fake RBCs, which are said to have a relatively long half-life. The findings were reported on-line yesterday in PNAS (abstract available, subscription required for full text). According to a PR-ish but interesting post on Futurity, a website put forth by a consortium of major research universities, tests of the particles’ ability to perform functions such as transporting oxygen or carrying therapeutic drugs have not yet been conducted.
Developing competent, artificial RBCs is
See more Artificial Red Blood Cells and Platelets from Stem Cells!
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