Artificial blood created from stem cells could be tested on Britons within two years.
The scientists behind the research, which could provide industrial scale quantities of blood, believe it will transform transfusions by preventing hospital shortages, and save thousands of lives on battlefields and at the scene of car crashes.
Heart transplant, bypass and cancer patients would also benefit from having a guaranteed supply of blood on hand for their surgery.
The man-made blood would be free of infections that have blighted natural supplies and could be given to almost everyoneregardless of blood group.
The hope comes from Edinburgh and Bristol university researchers who have, for the first time, made thousands of millions of red blood cells from stem cells - "master cells" seen as a repair kit for the body - taken from bone marrow.
Edinburgh University's Professor Marc Turner predicts that in two to three years, he will be ready to inject a teaspoon of man-made blood into healthy volunteers, in the first British trial of blood from stem cells.
Within 20 years, it may be possible to produce two million pints of artificial blood a year - enough to satisfy the nation's medical needs. Any embryonic stem cells used would be taken from four or five-day-old embryos left over from IVF treatment and donated to the research project.





据英国《每日邮报》10月27日报道，英国科学家利用干细胞制成人造血，两年之内可在英国试用。

该研究能提供产业规模的供血量。科学家们相信通过防止医院的血源短缺，它能改变临床输血模式，并能拯救在战场上和车祸中受伤的数千伤患。

这种方便有保证的血液供应也会让需要做心脏移植、心脏塔桥手术的患者以及癌症患者受益匪浅。

人造血不会受到外界感染，几乎可以不分血型输给所有人。

制出人造血的希望来自于爱丁堡和布里斯托尔大学的研究人员们。他们首次从被称为"万能细胞"的干细胞当中制成了成千上万的红血球。这种干细胞提取自骨髓，被看作是人体的修复包。

爱丁堡大学的教授马尔科-特纳预言在两到三年内，他准备在英国首例人造血的人体试验中，将一汤匙量的人造血液注射入健康的志愿者体内。

在未来20年内，英国人造血的年产量将可能达到200万品脱（约113万升），足以满足全国的医疗需求。用于造血的胚胎干细胞将从试管受精遗留下的以及捐献给该研究项目的人类晶胚中提取。

• artificial [,ɑ:ti´fiʃəl] a.人工的；模拟的 (初中英语单词)
• research [ri´sə:tʃ] n.&vi.调查；探究；研究 (初中英语单词)
• industrial [in´dʌstriəl] a.工业的，产业的 (初中英语单词)
• cancer [´kænsə] n.癌；毒瘤 (初中英语单词)
• everyone [´evriwʌn] pron.=everybody 每人 (初中英语单词)
• repair [ri´peə] v.&n.修理，修补 (初中英语单词)
• healthy [´helθi] a.健康的 (初中英语单词)
• medical [´medikəl] a.医学的；医疗的 (初中英语单词)
• treatment [´tri:tmənt] n.待遇；对待；治疗 (初中英语单词)
• transform [træns´fɔ:m] v.转化，转变；改造 (高中英语单词)
• regardless [ri´gɑ:dləs] a.不留心的；不关心的 (高中英语单词)
• teaspoon [´ti:spu:n] n.茶匙 (高中英语单词)
• edinburgh [´edinbərə] n.爱丁堡 (英语四级单词)
• transplant [træns´plɑ:nt, -plænt] vt.移植(种)；迁移 (英语六级单词)
• turner [´tə:nə] n.车工 (英语六级单词)
• inject [in´dʒekt] vt.注射 (英语六级单词)