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The global demand and importance for cheap, available, and disease free blood substitutes is undisputed. There are currently no red blood cell substitutes approved for clinical use in the US or the UK, and whole blood is almost always in short supply. Underdeveloped countries that need blood the most simply don’t have the infrastructure to support donation and storage, in addition a sizeable fraction of the population are disease carriers. We are developing an innovative and cheap blood substitute based on engineered E. coli with all the critical properties of human erythrocytes. These include the ability to safely exist in the bloodstream, carry oxygen, and be stored for prolonged periods in a freeze-dried state.
