The Long Quest for Artificial Blood

Lab-grown meat. Lab-grown diamonds. Lab-grown . . . blood? It sounds improbable, but scientists on both sides of the Atlantic are closer than you think. In this engaging New Yorker feature, Nicola Twilley reports on the extraordinary research in the field, including the first clinical trial, funded by the NHS, in which human participants are receiving transfusions of manufactured blood. Stateside, a similar effort is underway at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, centered around a promising substance called ErythroMer, “a synthetic nanoparticle that mimics the oxygen-carrying role of red blood cells.” Twilley also writes about the fascinating history of blood in medicine, from the discovery of blood types to advancements in transfusion, storage, and transport. An absorbing read that’s well worth your time. (May require a subscription.)

“Are you sure you don’t want to try it, too?” I asked Doctor, as he used a pipette to add some water to a Barbie-pink powder. This was ErythroMer, his freeze-dried artificial red blood cells, which, when hydrated, turned into what looked like a shot of raspberry milk. “I never have,” Doctor admitted. “I guess I can’t not?” Together, we clinked plastic test tubes, sniffed, then slurped. The initial flavor note was salt, followed by a fatty finish. “It has a little bit of a creamy feel,” Doctor said. “I don’t think we’re going to be able to market it for taste.” When I complained that I could detect none of the metallic sucking-on-a-penny note of real blood, he told me that was precisely the point. “There’s no contact between the iron and your tongue,” he said. “Because it’s hidden inside the membrane.”