Could lab-grown platelets replace donor blood?

This is an important question for your doctor to answer. I'm going to demand young blood transfusions in order to increase my cognition after my next stroke and this may make it easier.

Young Blood Revitalizes the Aging Brain

Lab grown here: 

Platelet bioreactor-on-a-chip 

1. ↵* Corresponding author; email: drjthon@gmail.com

Key points

• We have developed a biomimetic microfluidic platelet bioreactor that recapitulates bone marrow and blood vessel microenvironments.
• Application of shear stress in this bioreactor triggers physiological proplatelet production, and platelet release.

Abstract

Platelet transfusions total >2.17 million apheresis-equivalent units/year in the United States and are derived entirely from human donors despite clinically significant immunogenicity, associated risk of sepsis, and inventory shortages due to high demand and 5-day shelf life. To take advantage of known physiological drivers of thrombopoiesis we have developed a microfluidic human platelet bioreactor that recapitulates bone marrow stiffness, extracellular matrix composition, micro-channel size, hemodynamic vascular shear stress, and endothelial cell contacts, and supports high-resolution live-cell microscopy and quantification of platelet production. Physiological shear stresses triggered proplatelet initiation, reproduced ex vivo bone marrow proplatelet production, and generated functional platelets. Modeling human bone marrow composition and hemodynamics in vitro obviates risks associated with platelet procurement and storage to help meet growing transfusion needs.