According to several reports, once a far-off fantasy of science fiction pipedreams - artificial blood – has been administered to male volunteers in Japan.
The studies began in 2022 and the goal is to actually put the universal artificial blood to use by around 2030.
A team of Japanese scientists led by Nara Medical University Professor of Chemistry Dr. Hiromi Sakai are heading up the project.
Apparently the blood is made by extracting hemoglobin proteins from expired donor blood.
The hemoglobin is then incased in a protective shell to make the proteins stable and virus-free without needing to be blood-type specific.
According to several news stories, the artificial blood can be stored up to two years at room temperature and for five years under refrigeration.
Of course I have no idea what the actual numbers are for those temperatures, but it sounds revolutionary by all definitions of the word.
I mean, I know we keep our air conditioning in the mid-70 degree marks for our comfort here at home, but that’s not everyone’s forte!
It’s also worth noting that fresh blood can only be stored for 42 days, and only lasts for a few hours unrefrigerated.
Reportedly, there are “mild side effects from volunteers, but no significant changes in vital signs like blood pressure.”
Though, so far, no one has defined what those side effects are and it’s hard to find out specifics on volunteers administered 100-400 milliliters of the artificial blood as of March 2025.
I’m hoping that the volunteer pool has widened to include women by now, but haven’t found any online data suggesting as much in time for our print deadline early Tuesday morning.
Also, in case you were curious, blood substitutes have been searched for since the 17th Century – blood pathways were discovered by William Harvey in 1616 – just to put things in perspective.
The 1980s HIV outbreak pushed scientists to pursue a blood substitute more aggressively, along with universal blood donations dwindling.
Still, while I’m honestly celebrating such a breakthrough, I’m also reminded of several pop culture references in both positive and negative light.
All of my reference points feature modern vampire plots that go hand-in-hand with artificial blood use boiling down to two main tropes.
Either the vampires in question are desperate for a blood substitute or they are already living with one but are unsatisfied by it.
Both of those plot points can be readily seen in movies and shows like the “Blade” (1998) movie franchise, “Daybreakers” (2009), “Underworld” (2003) movie franchise, “Blade: The Series” (2006), “Hemlock Grove” (2013), “The Originals” (2013), and “True Blood” (2008).
It’s also worth noting that some of the above visual references also have literary components or source material of the same name.
If I dug deeper, I’m sure I could find more media and literature references, but I’m focusing on things in the last two decades that seemed more widespread versus something niche as frames of references.
There are also a handful of videogame references that could be made too, but that’s not super important.
My point is that vampire works have featured artificial blood for over 20 years and it’s interesting to see how science has caught up with fiction in such a short time.
Outside of that, I’ll be keeping tabs on the pioneering medical breakthrough and watching for updated peer-reviewed reports – especially if the technology comes stateside or we have our own formula made before 2030.