Scientists Develop Artificial Blood

This from Science Daily:

Scientists from the University of Sheffield are developing an artificial 'plastic blood´, which could act as a substitute for real blood in emergency situations. The 'plastic blood´ could have a huge impact on military applications.

Because the artificial blood is made from a plastic, it is light to carry and easy to store. Doctors could store the substitute as a thick paste in a blood bag and then dissolve it in water just before giving it to patients – meaning it´s easier to transport than liquid blood.

Donated blood has a relatively short shelf-life of 35 days, after which it must be thrown away. It also needs refrigeration, whereas the 'plastic blood´ will be storable for many more days and is stable at room temperature.

The artificial blood is made of plastic molecules that hold an iron atom at their core, just like hemoglobin, that can bind oxygen and could transport it around the body. The small plastic molecules join together in a tree-like branching structure, with a size and shape very similar to that of natural hemoglobin molecules. This creates the right environment for the iron to bind oxygen in the lungs and release it in the body.