The ability to make unlimited quantities of Red blood cells- which carry vital oxygen around the body has been a dream of medical researchers for almost half a century.Now that dream is to reality with developments in stem cell research.In principle, it states that synthetic blood will be freed from virus such as HIV, and coul also prevent shortages at blood banks and in emergency operation.

At first researchers will test human embryos left over for in vitro treatment and stimulate it with nutrients and chemicals to develop and differentiate into mature red blood cells, to find those which can develop into universal donor O negative blood group as O negative blood can be injected to anyone without the fear of tissue rejection.This precious blood is only available as it belongs to only 7% of the population.However embryonic stem cells can multiply indefinitely and can thus serve for the entire nation.

Last year researchers tried to synthesize synthetic RBCs from embryonic stem cells in a test tube and it was a major breakthrough in the ultimate goal of synthesizing industrial-scale quantities of blood.

It is found that the red blood cells do not have any nucleus, an adaptation that provides haemoglobin at the centre to carry oxygen.This means that the synthetic cells cannot develop into cancerous cells since they do not have DNA.The team of Uk hopes to apply this principle within three years an finally to market this principle within five decades.

Once this technique of transforming stem cells into Red blood cells become effective then it can produce 100 billiopn red blood cells! Ultimately scientists hope to produce portable blood factories that can be transported into disaster zones and battlefields.But this technique is still in its infancy and is about to go a miles ahead.