The word on the street is that blood is a pretty important part of our anatomy. Staggeringly it is estimated that seven percent of our body weight is made up of the stuff. I’m no scientist but that sounds like a bloody lot! We all know that it does crucial tasks around the clock, don’t worry, I’m not going to bore you with them all, this isn’t a biology class. If it were then there would be a shit load of complaints as I am by no means qualified. Although I did get an A at GCSE, HOLLA! This article isn’t about the role of its plasma and cells, instead it’s to do with a brand new discovery that is changing everything we know about how the vital fluid is made. John Dick, a principal investigator, and his team from the University of Toronto, Canada, are challenging ideas put in place back in the 60s. The researchers believe that blood is formed in fewer steps than once previously thought. Upending current thinking on the way all that red stuff is produced inside our bodies. The previous belief was that stem cells went thought tons of complex steps before finally becoming a white or red adult cell. But Dick and the gang say that that is all cobblers. They think the process isn’t as intermediate; it’s simpler and quicker. The team analysed nearly 3,000 different cells from a whole bunch of volunteers of varied age. Dick said, “The whole classic ‘textbook’ view we thought we knew doesn’t actually exist.” They also uncovered that our bloody system changes between early human development and adult. Contrary to prior belief that the system stayed stable once formed; it is in fact two-tiered. Dick went on to say, “Instead, through a series of experiments we have been able to finally resolve how different kinds of blood cells form quickly from the stem cell – the most potent blood cell in the system – and not further downstream as has been traditionally thought.” So this all sounds great but what on earth does it mean? Well, the findings could open the way for new studies and new treatments in the future. Dick compares the discovery to when we switched from old black-and-white televisions to the new age of high definition. He said, “Our discovery means we will be able to understand far better a wide variety of human blood disorders and diseases – from anaemia, where there are not enough blood cells, to leukaemia, where there are too many blood cells.“ And this isn’t all, the group believe that the research could one day help with the manufacturing and engineering of blood cells in a lab. Ultimately this could help save the lives of patients who need blood transfusions when a donor isn’t available. The scientists are redefining how blood is made and if their analysis is furthered we could see personalised therapies and improved treatments down the line. Sounds bloody great to me. Source
