Researchers in England have developed a synthetic form of blood made from plastic molecules that could help save lives when natural blood is unavailable or in short supply, such as on battlefields and during natural catastrophes.

Unlike human blood, it is easily transportable, easy to store, and doesn’t require refrigeration. It is also completely sterile and is made in “O negative” blood type, so it can be universally transfused. The plastic blood comes in a dark-red, dehydrated paste. Just add water and it’s ready to use.

Researchers around the world have been working for over 30 years to make a blood substitute that will mimic hemoglobin – a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen around the bloodstream. Other potential red blood cell substitutes haven’t worked. They’ve also been expensive to replicate in laboratories, whereas plastic blood is much more affordable.

“The holy grail would be to have artificial blood, instead of red blood cells, to use for potential blood shortages in trauma settings,” said Dr. Thomas J. Reid, chief of Hematology-Medical Oncology at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. “Outside of the military, no one currently has the capability to store major amounts of blood for emergencies.” Having stores of synthetic blood immediately available for all blood types would definitely be a boon to the medical community. Scientists also hope the plastic blood will offer further utility in treating wounded soldiers in military situations.

Plastic Copies Biology
Dr. Lance Twyman and his research team at the University of Sheffield in England have spent the past five years finding a way to make a plastic molecule that mimics the basic structure of hemoglobin. Like hemoglobin, the molecule can bind oxygen and carry it to other parts of the body. 

Dr. Twyman combines porphyrin, a naturally occurring substance, and polyethylene glycol (PEG), a water-soluble polymer or plastic used in plastic bottles, to make this molecule. Since the polymer is already used to deliver drugs to the blood stream, there is some reassurance that the component will not be attacked by the body’s immune system. One important aspect of the artificial blood is that the oxygen is reversible; that is, it can take oxygen from the air in the lungs and give it up when necessary to other body tissue.

Further study is warranted before the plastic blood will be available. The team is planning to perform tests on its toxicity within the next year. 

“If it’s discovered in future studies that it’s as good as red blood cells, then it could be used as a replacement for human red blood cells,” said Dr. Reid.

Plastic blood is just one example of how plastic can be used in medical innovations to help improve health and save lives. A sample of the plastic blood will be on display at the London Science Museum’s plastics exhibit, “Plasticity – 100 years of making plastics” running May 22, 2007 – January 2009.