Melbourne scientists have discovered two molecules in humans that can increase the lifespan of blood cells. Scientists at the Walter Eliza Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne hope the breakthrough will stop critical storages dying in blood banks before they can be used.
The current shelf life for blood cells is five days.
The Institute's laboratory head, Dr Benjamin Kile, says the discovery could help countless patients who depend on blood transfusions for survival.
"Probably the major class of patients having platelet transfusions are patients having cancer chemotherapy, which tends to damage the body's own ability to produce platelets," he said.
"So those people are often requiring platelet transfusions, particularly during their chemotherapy cycles."
Dr Kile says now scientists know the cause of cell destruction, the next step is developing a drug to extend the life of critically low blood stocks.
He says the discovery could also enable doctors to shorten the life of unhealthy blood cells in patients with serious diseases.
"There might be situations where you'd like to switch off platelet life," he said.
"Platelets are involved in cardiovascular diseases, they're also involved in the blood clots that cause strokes and heart attacks.
"So in those situations it might actually be desirable to reduce the number of platelets by reducing their lifespan, so that's the flipside of the coin as it were." SOURCE: © 2007 Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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