Israel's RedC wants to turn donor cells into $50 shelf-ready blood

Although RedC has already produced small quantities of blood using this process, the real test will be whether it can scale up production, bring down costs, and secure regulatory clearances

In the next five to six years, you might be able to buy laboratory (lab)-grown blood off the shelf for just $50 a unit, compatible with all blood types.

 

An Israel-based company, RedC Biotech, is working towards that goal. It is developing a process that reprogrammes blood from universal donors (O-negative) by deactivating genes in the white blood cells, converting them into stem cells. These are then harvested and multiplied in large bioreactors capable of producing 2,000 litres of red blood cells, using technology developed by the Technion — Israel Institute of Technology.

 

Although RedC has already produced small quantities