Article in the Independent about Wellcome trust Red Blood Stem Cell project in Scotland

Interesting read in the Independent -

Scientific breakthrough as red blood cells are made from IVF embryos

British scientists have turned stem cells from spare IVF embryos into red blood cells as part of a project to manufacture synthetic blood on an industrial-scale. It is believed to be the first time in Britain that human red blood cells have been created from embryonic stem cells and it marks a milestone in a project aimed at producing blood for medical transfusions.

The aim of the £3m project is to develop an alternative source of O-negative blood, the universal donor group that can be transfused into the vast majority of the population without fear of rejection.

The project, funded by the Wellcome Trust, has used more than a hundred spare IVF embryos from fertility clinics to establish several embryonic stem cell lines that replicate continuously in the laboratory.

Full story- http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/scientific-breakthrough-as-red-blood-cells-are-made-from-ivf-embryos-2053637.html