Editing Red blood cell (section)

=== Transfusion ===
{{main|Blood transfusion}}
Red blood cells may be given as part of a [[blood transfusion]]. Blood may be [[blood donation|donated]] from another person, or stored by the recipient at an earlier date. Donated blood usually requires [[screening (medicine)|screening]] to ensure that donors do not contain risk factors for the presence of blood-borne diseases, or will not suffer themselves by giving blood. Blood is usually collected and tested for common or serious [[blood-borne disease]]s including [[Hepatitis B]], [[Hepatitis C]] and HIV. The [[blood type]] (A, B, AB, or O) or the blood product is identified and matched with the recipient's blood to minimise the likelihood of [[acute hemolytic transfusion reaction]], a type of [[transfusion reaction]]. This relates to the presence of [[antigen]]s on the cell's surface. After this process, the blood is stored, and within a short duration is used. Blood can be given as a whole product or the red blood cells separated as [[packed red blood cells]].

Blood is often transfused when there is known anaemia, active bleeding, or when there is an expectation of serious blood loss, such as prior to an operation. Before blood is given, a small sample of the recipient's blood is tested with the transfusion in a process known as [[cross-matching]].

In 2008 it was reported that human [[embryonic stem cell]]s had been successfully coaxed into becoming red blood cells in the lab. The difficult step was to induce the cells to eject their nucleus; this was achieved by growing the cells on [[stromal cell]]s from the bone marrow. It is hoped that these artificial red blood cells can eventually be used for blood transfusions.<ref>{{Cite web| vauthors = Coghlan A |date=2008-08-19 |title=First red blood cells grown in the lab|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14565-first-red-blood-cells-grown-in-the-lab/|access-date=2023-03-26|website=New Scientist|language=en-US}}</ref>

A human trial is conducted in 2022, using blood cultured from stem cells obtained from donor blood.<ref>
{{ Cite web
 | url          = https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/researchers-are-trialing-lab-grown-blood-transfusions-what-to-know#Transfusing-lab-made-red-blood-cells
 | title        = Researchers are trialing lab-grown blood transfusions: What to know
 | website      = medicalnewstoday.com
 | date = 11 November 2022
 | publisher    = MedicalNewsToday
 | access-date  = 2022-11-17
 | url-status   = live
 | language     = en
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20221115050210/https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/researchers-are-trialing-lab-grown-blood-transfusions-what-to-know
 | archive-date = 2022-11-15
 | quote        = A team of researchers led by the National Health Service (NHS) Blood and Transplant unit recently launched the first clinical trial to transfuse lab-grown red blood cells into a live human.
}}
</ref>