Artifical Blood
Every 3.7 seconds someone in the United States is receiving a blood transfusion and a total of thirty million units of blood is transfused throughout the world annually (Cannell 1999)1. In the 1600's Louis XIV physician, Jean-Baptiste, performed the first blood transfusion when he took nine ounces of lamb's blood and placed it into a teenage boy. Not only were blood transfusions experimented with on humans but animals too. For example, the English used dogs in their experiments transfusing urine, milk, wine, and other substances. Each of these scientific explorations was all towards accomplishing one goal, to find a substitute for human blood. "For decades, scientists have chased the elusive dream of creating artificial blood-blood that would be universally compatible and readily available-and today a handful of U.S. companies is tantalizing close to the finish line" (Cimmons 2001)2. Three Bio-tech American companies; Northfield Laboratories, Biopure Corp, and Alliance Pharmaceutical Corp and a Canadian company, Hemosol are fighting for the recognition to be the first group to have an approved blood substitute sold in the United States. The companies are striving for a substitute that could decrease the blood shortages, an
In July 2002 Biopure submitted its data to the FDA for approval of its blood substitute. Many analysts believe that the FDA will not approve it because of the lack of clinical trials. Also, many speculate about the widespread use of the hemopure because of the hefty price of $500-$1000 a pint versus donor blood which runs for $125-$150 (Copley News Service)8. The safety of donor blood is increasing with improved technology, with fewer people receiving diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis C. With the safety of donor blood improving, there may be some skepticism over artificial blood. However; there will always be a shortage of donor blood due to its lack of shelf life thus a substitute is required. The routine use of artificial blood still has a long way ahead of itself. Researchers must find a way to prolong the life-span of the artificial blood in the human body and reduce the costs of the substitute. When these components are fulfilled, the bloody race for a blood substitute will finally come to an end. On a snowy February morning in 1994, Linda Porter shoveled her Since Oxygent is an emulsion it absorbs the oxygen into the system instead of bonding it together like the hemoglobin which allows for faster travel throughout the body. The fluorocarbons are not miscible with aqueous solutions, which is why they must be prepared as emulsions.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Corp Canadian, Pharmaceutical Corporation, Mechanism Hemoglobin, South Africa, Currently Biopure, Hemoglobin Hb, Trials Stokstad, Louis XIV, Similar Biopure's, Robert Murtaugh, red blood, artificial blood, blood cells, donor blood, red blood cell, blood substitute, blood cell, red blood cells, alliance pharmaceutical, hemoglobin molecule, squires 20023, cannell 19991, alliance pharmaceutical corp, modified human hemoglobin, alliance pharmaceutical corporation,
Approximate Word count = 2471
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)
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