Research is being carried out in Graz

Will there soon be artificial blood from the test tube?

Research is making good progress.(Bild: angellodeco - stock.adobe.com)

Many people are dependent on blood donations due to illness or accidents - but there is often a shortage of blood, especially for rare blood groups. Could artificial blood from the laboratory be the solution? In Graz, people believe in this vision.

Blood is urgently needed: In Austria, a patient needs a transfusion every 90 seconds, that's almost 1000 units of blood a day. In Styria alone, that's 50,000 a year. Up to three lives can be saved with one blood transfusion. How is this possible? After a whole blood donation, the blood taken is separated into its three main components: the red blood cells (erythrocytes), the platelets (thrombocytes) and the blood plasma.