Re: Why don't genetic engineers make artificial blood?

Yan Ho,

What a great idea! I do know that scientists have been working on a 
biosynthetic replacement for red blood cells. This material does have the 
capacity to carry oxygen and transfer it to fluids and cells like 
hemoglobin but there are some toxicity problems that prevent its immediate 
use. With what is known about the genes that encode hemoglobin and other 
molecules found in blood, it could be feasible to do what you ask. 
However, I don't know that such an idea is or is not being developed and 
tested right now. Perhaps that is something you can participate in 
creating when you reach a level in your education where the tools to do it 
can be put in your hands. The Human Genome project will probably have 
generated more gene seguences and validated more proteins by that time and 
the world will be anxiously waiting for scientists willing to take on the 
harder job of making this information work in usable products.