Designer Blood
Program Code: 5105-S
Saturday, October 20, 2007
10:30 AM to 12:00 PM (ET)

MODERATOR
George Garratty, PhD, FRCPath, American Red Cross Blood Services

SPEAKERS
George Garratty, PhD, FRCPath, American Red Cross Blood Services
Mohandas Narla, DSC, New York Blood Center

DESCRIPTION
The speakers will discuss erythropoiesis and the possibility of in vitro bulk production of cultured human RBCs suitable for transfusion. Work in mice suggests that procedures using growth factors and bone marrow stromal cells can achieve substantial in vitro expansion of CD34+ stem cells, with conversion to mature enucleated RBCs. Such RBCs appear to possess the same properties as in vivo generated RBCs. The speakers will provide an update on the progress of modulating the RBC membrane to produce "universal" group O donor cells, producing "stealth" RBCs.