First we had artificial pork, and now we have artificial blood. Scientist Samir Mitragotri and his colleagues have successfully created artificial red blood cells using biodegradable polymer molds. The lab-made cells are of the same size and shape as the real deal, and are also elastic enough that they can squeeze into passageways tinier than their diameter. But most blood-like of all, the synthetic cells can soak up hemoglobin and release it later. Wow. Truly the work of Class-S nerds.
Mitragori and his colleagues are already looking at various applications for their creation, including using it as a means of delivering medicine through our body, although they’ve yet to conduct human trials. Will vampires be able to tell the difference between fake blood and real blood? Or will an enterprising vampire soon come up with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Blood! ?
