Palscience

O-negative blood type is very rare, only 7% of the world population have that type of blood, leaving doctors with short supply. But the good news is that scientists led by Lanza and colleagues at the Mayo Clinic and University of Illinois, have successfully generated from scratch O-negative blood type using embryonic stem cells.

“We literally generated whole tubes in the lab, from scratch,” said Robert Lanza, chief science officer at Advanced Cell Technologies.

So, what is embryonic stem cells? embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos that develop from eggs that have been fertilized in a laboratory dish or test tube; an artificial environment. They are not derived from eggs fertilized in a woman’s body. Stem Cell Information

Lanza and her team allowed a small culture of embryonic stem cells to divide until it numbered a few billion cells. Then they treated it with some mix of chemicals that coaxed the cells in to whatever type they desire A,B or O. Even though it was a successful procedure, the Red Cross warned against premature celebration. “At this stage, the work is very promising, but has not progressed to the stage where the cultured cells are fully equivalent” to natural cells, said the organization in a statement. “Much more work will yet be needed before this becomes a practical reality.”

After a baby is born and the umbilical cord is cut, some blood remains in the blood vessels of the placenta and they baby is no longer in need to that blood. Doctors use this blood which called “Cord Blood”. Cord blood is used on an experimental basis as a source of stem cells, and as for now over  70 different diseases have been treated with cord blood transplants.

Resources - Stem Cell Information - Cord Blood Q&A - Lean Genetics- Wired