Scientists have made a significant leap towards mass producing platelets – the part of the blood that forms clots.<\/p>\n
The NHS and University of Cambridge team have discovered how to grow the body’s platelet factories in the laboratory.<\/p>\n
It could provide a new source of platelets to stop heavy bleeding, for example after a car crash.<\/p>\n
But the researchers need to make the process more efficient before starting trials.<\/p>\n
If you donate blood, then it is separated out into red blood cells, plasma and platelets so patients are given only the component they need.<\/p>\n
Platelets are needed after trauma, surgery, leukaemia therapy and in some blood disorders like haemophilia.<\/p>\n
“We’re totally dependent on blood donation to produce those platelets,” said Dr Cedric Ghevaert, a consultant haematologist.<\/p>\n
His team has been trying to grow megakaryocytes – the platelet mother cells that live in your bone marrow and manufacture the clotting platelets.<\/p>\n
Their breakthrough, reported in the journal Nature Communications, was the discovery of a set of chemical switches needed to create megakaryocytes in the lab.<\/p>\n
Dr. Ghevaert described their results as a “major step forward” and told the BBC News website that “the next big step is to get enough platelets out of each megakaryocyte”.<\/p>\n
The lab-made cells produce around 10 platelets each. But each one functioning normally in the bone marrow would produce up to 2,000.<\/p>\n
It is hoped that recreating the same conditions as in the bone marrow could make the cells more effective.<\/p>\n
If the researchers are successful, then lab-grown platelets could be more useful than ones collected in a blood donation.<\/p>\n
Dr Ghevaert added: “We can modify the platelets so they can trigger the clotting even better which would have huge advantages indeed for patients who have had a crash or a bleed or even in soldiers who have been injured.”<\/p>\n
It could also allow doctors to have stockpiles customised to different patients. Platelets come in different forms just as red blood cells come in A, B, O and AB.<\/p>\n
And some platelet types, particularly those common in black and Asian ethnic groups, are relatively rare.<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Scientists have made a significant leap towards mass producing platelets – the part of the blood that forms clots. The NHS and University of Cambridge team have discovered how to grow the body’s platelet factories in the laboratory. It could provide a new source of platelets to stop heavy bleeding, for example after a car […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[19],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n