The safety and adequacy of the national blood supply continues to be a national concern and a public health priority. Despite a significant unmet need, there are currently no alternatives to allogenic blood transfusions and recombinant erythropoietin for the anemic patient. The long-term goal of this research effort is the mass production of low cost, safe and inexpensive genetically engineered stem cell derived blood. The objective of this application is to demonstrate novel genetic engineering technologies that remove the critical barriers to the cost effective production of mass quantities of engineered blood. It is expected that the work proposed will enable the production of engineered blood in a manner that will be easily translated into clinical medicine.
The proposed research is relevant to public health because the development of a technology to produce engineered blood from stem cells will remove the risks of infection and antigenic exposure associated with allogenic blood transfusion. Stem cell derived blood could be used to supplement existing blood supplies, especially for O negative blood, which is always in short supply. The proposed research is relevant to the part of NIH's mission that pertains to fostering innovative research strategies, and their applications as a basis to advance the Nation's capacity to protect and improve health.
