Concise review: production of cultured red blood cells from stem cells

Eric E Bouhassira1

  • 1Departments of Cell Biology and Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA. eric.bouhassira@einstein.yu.edu

In the Western world, the volunteer-based collection system covers most transfusion needs, but transient shortages regularly develop and blood supplies are vulnerable to potentially major disruptions. The production of cultured red blood cells from stem cells is slowly emerging as a potential alternative. The various cell sources, the niche applications most likely to reach the clinic first, and some of the remaining technical issues are reviewed here.

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