Artificial blood - coming soon or never reaching clinical maturity?

Formerly developed resuscitation fluids solely imitated the main function of the blood -oxygen transport. A research driven by the army requested an oxygen carrier that does not need cross typing and cooled storage. Artificial oxygen carriers (AOC) use either the molecular oxygen bondage to hemoglobin: HBOC- hemoglobin based oxygen carriers or the physical dissolution of oxygen in the blood plasma compartment by hyperbaric pressure in perfluorocarbon emulsions (PFC). Decades of preclinical and clinical research did pass but the results were disappointing- in Russia, a not well designed PFC is available locally and the only approved HBOC in South Africa is not being used much. Other products, just prior to filing for FDA approval, did not achieve convincing study results and research and production was stopped. Some trials have been stopped by the FDA for safety reasons, half of trials with the primary endpoint reduction of allogeneic transfusion requirement were unsuccessful or offset by an increased blood requirement later. However, some ventures currently are trying to use the knowledge gained so far and are investigating third and fourth generation products of artificial blood components. These imitate the cellular structure of red cells as micells, nanocapsules, (ABC- artifical blood cells) or gas bubbles (microbubbles), admixture of volume substitutes such as starches, gelatin or albumin or use hyperbaric oxygenation [38]. Artificial platelets are in clinical phase IIa, recombinant albumin in phase III. In this article, a short overview about the current situation on artifical blood products is given. The critical point for the break through for artificial blood products did not come yet but could be ahead. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart - New York.