In a demonstration of potentially game-changing medical tech that could end scarcity of rare blood types, a team of researchers in the UK have injected lab-grown blood into humans.
The "Bombay" blood group is exceedingly rare but is still required for many transfusions.
There might only be ten people in the country who would be willing to donate samples, according to the University of Bristol'sAshley Toye.
To grow blood in the lab, the researchers mixed magnetic beads into a regular blood donation.
Stem cells can be turned into 50 billion red blood cells in three weeks.
"We want to make as much blood as possible in the future, so the vision in my head is a room full of machines producing it continuously from a normal blood donation," Toye said.
The trial, which will eventually involve ten healthy participants, has already begun with two of them receiving a donation of synthetic blood.
Researchers will be able to track how long it takes for the samples to be processed by the body by using a radioactive substance in the samples.
The hope is that with scale, the costs can be reduced.
The UK's health authority responsible for the supply of blood, organs, and stem cells told CNBC that costs would fall if the trial is a success.
The researchers are excited.
"This world-leading research lays the groundwork for the manufacture of red blood cells that can safely be used to transfuse people with disorders," said Farrukh Shah from the National Health Service.
The need for normal blood donations to provide most of the blood will not change.
The world's first clinical trial uses lab-grown blood.
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