PART I Topic: Blood Substitutes There is ongoing interest in developing blood substitutes with oxygen-carrying capabilities equivalent to whole blood. These synthetic fluids carry enough oxygen in solution that an organism can actually breathe it. Research and report current developments in this field including clinical trials. 1. Discuss the advantages/disadvantages and give your opinion on the likelihood of a blood substitute being introduced within the next few years. What are the difficulties faced when trying to develop a viable substitute? (Your answer to this question should demonstrate your knowledge of the normal constituents and their functions!)

 For decades, the goal and mission of many scholars and researchers is the development of a safe blood substitute. Even though it is a relatively safe, heterogeneous mixture of cells suspended in liquid plasma that is human blood can cause various and serious health problems after its transfusion. Infections (hepatitis B and C, HIV, West Nile virus, variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob and prion diseases) caused by improper collection or storing of blood units can be life-threatening. Transfused blood, with all its cellular and humoral antigens, can have hemolytic, inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects. Also, allergic reactions, such as perioperative anaphylaxis or transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) are life-threatening complications of blood transfusion (Levy & Adkinson, 2008).

Because of all these adverse effects and complications, research in relation to blood substitutes seems logical and necessary. Today, perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers (HBOCs) are two major classes of oxygen-carrying blood substitutes.

Because of the low oxygen solubility in plasma, less than 1% of total