Hemopure is a hemoglobin-based product as is HemAssist and similar products. Other products are made from outdated human blood. Hemoglobin is considered a blood fraction and products made from it are a conscience matter for JWs as this document indicates. I also called the HLC in my area who verified that using hemoglobin-based products is a personal decision.--Blondie
Blood issu solved?
by happy man 17 Replies latest watchtower medical
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MacHislopp
Hello everyone,
Thanks to Happy Man for the latest informations on blood. I?m just adding the
text for those unable to get it.
Notice: All the following informations are taken from " SANGART " home page:
From this link: http://www.sangart.com/
Sangart is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving transfusion practices worldwide. The company is focused on the research, development, and commercialization of innovative transfusion medicine solutions to the
benefit of all people. Based on pre-clinical studies, Sangart's lead product, Hemospan TM , appears to fulfill the three fundamental requirements for a successful alternative to blood transfusion: efficacy, safety, and affordability.and this :
http://www.sangart.com/products/
1) Sangart is developing two general classes of hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers, Hemospan TM and Hemospan PS TM . A basic element of the Sangart business strategy is to develop a series of safe and effective oxygen carriers for treatment of blood loss, specific to diverse medical indications.
2)
Hemospan TM combines low hemoglobin concentration with high oxygen transport capability. Hemoglobin is harvested from outdated human blood and combined with PEG to eliminate the toxicity of free hemoglobin. It has been shown in laboratory testing that pegylation of the hemoglobin is an effective shield against immunologic reactions. PEG is used in several pharmaceutical formulations and has extensive safety documentation.
3)
Hemospan PS TM combines Hemospan TM with a volume expander, pentastarch. Hemospan PS TM maintains the potent volume expansion and capillary flow properties of Hemospan TM but requires less hemoglobin for efficacy. Thus its cost will be low, and it may find wider application in markets where cost is limiting. Pentastarch is approved for human use in many countries throughout the world and has extensive safety documentation.
4)
Special formulations are being developed for military and disaster applications. Sangart is also working on novel methods to prepare SFH and Hemospan TM . Sangart believes that these methods will eliminate substantially the need to build big, complex factories to handle blood processing for manufacture into Hemospan TM and will therefore extend the Hemospan TM family of products into markets that are now underserved by transfusion medicine practices.
F.AQ.
1. How much research and development have gone into Sangart's products and approaches?
The research that has culminated in formation of Sangart began in 1985 in the U.S. Army's Blood Research Division in San Francisco. In the 6 years that Dr. Winslow directed that program, approximately $17 million was invested in in-house and contract research. A 5-year NIH-supported Program Project Grant provided an additional $4 million, approximately. Therefore, the total investment has been over $20 million. In contrast to industry-sponsored research, this entire program has been rigorously reviewed at every stage by our peers, and the program has contributed well over 100 original, peer-reviewed publications related to blood substitutes and hundreds of additional publications, books and reviews on related subjects.
2. What are the key discoveries that have led to Sangart's products?
The physiology of oxygen transport by cell-free hemoglobin has been a multidisciplinary effort involving physical chemistry, physiology and microcirculation studies. New methods were developed, as a part of our research program, for measuring the physical properties of hemoglobin solutions, including oxygen binding, and for measuring oxygen in highly focused areas inside vessels. The diffusive properties of hemoglobin molecules were discovered using artificial capillary instrumentation invented in our laboratory. Clinically realistic animal models were utilized to test the new theories and to verify that the new formulations perform as predicted.
3. What are the pharmacoeconomics of Sangart's products?This is a very exciting aspect of Sangart's approach. Because the product is designed and optimized for oxygen delivery, even a very small amount is effective in animals. Most commercial products currently require 2 units of donor blood for each unit of product. Sangart's process will deliver 3-5 units of product for each unit of donor blood used as raw material. This is a 10-fold gain in efficiency compared to existing products. Since the major cost of donor blood lies in testing, the cost savings will be even more than 10-fold. A precise analysis of the final cost of Sangart's product is proprietary, but certain products are designed to be cost-competitive with donor blood.
4. Why will Sangart's product be successful, when the competing products have all been disappointing?
In 1992, Dr. Winslow's book, Hemoglobin-based Red Cell Substitutes, summarized the current understanding of these products, including the provisional recommendation that a successful product should have 1) low viscosity, 2) low oncotic pressure and 3) oxygen affinity similar to that of blood. The competing companies fixed the characteristics of their products prior to that time. The research program, begun at Letterman Army Institute of Research and continued at UCSD, was aimed at testing these recommendations. Thirteen years of public, peer-reviewed research have shown that each of the assumptions was incorrect. This research was only possible because it was not aimed at developing any particular product, rather at understanding underlying mechanisms. In addition, Dr. Winslow's group was in the unique position to test and compare hemoglobins which represent each of the classes of commercial products. The counterintuitive conclusions reached by the group are being accepted in the scientific community, but slowly. This has created for Sangart a window of opportunity to introduce and develop novel products that not only function in biological systems, but will have substantially lower cost because they deliver oxygen in optimal, clearly understood ways.5. Why don't competing products deliver oxygen in the way that Sangart's does?
We have shown that sizes of some of the competitors' molecules are too small and their viscosities are too low to be effective oxygen carriers. Consequently, these products deliver their oxygen to vessel walls, producing vasoconstriction which consumes oxygen and prevents it from reaching tissues where it is needed.
6. Does Sangart's product pick up CO2 as well as deliver O2?
Yes. In fact, we are the only group that has studied this problem. Our new instrumentation (the artificial capillary) has allowed us to make direct measurements of CO2 pickup and release.
7. Does Sangart's product circulate long enough to be of practical use?
PEG-modified hemoglobins have the longest known circulating half-times (a half-time is the time at which one-half of the administered dose is still present in the circulation). In general, intramolecular-crosslinks lead to 12 hour half-time, polymerizations lead to 20 hour half-times. Based on experiments in animals, we anticipate half-times in excess of 2 days. Theoretical considerations have led us to believe that this half-time is long enough to allow the body to replace a substantial part of lost red cells on its own.
"Blood shortages, once a seasonal threat, have become year-round crises in many parts of the country, disrupting surgical schedules and forcing hospitals to make precarious treatment decisions." - Los Angeles Times , July 15th 2001
"More than two-thirds of the world's nations are failing to supply safe blood to their populations. Their failure adds significantly to the spread of the virus that causes AIDS as well as potentially deadly forms of hepatitis and other diseases." - The New York Times, July 4th, 2000
"All donated blood undergoes strict testing; even so, of the nation's 12 million units of donated blood, about 10 H.I.V. infected units are undetected each year, causing about two or three H.I.V. infections annually." - The New York Times, 9/15/00
"For the first time, the government is starting a day-to-day tracking system to monitor the nation's blood supply and sound an alarm when shortages loom." - San Diego Union Tribune, August 21, 2001
"Artificial blood would be a blessing." --Bernadine Healy, President, American Red Cross, March 4, 2001
"There are striking disparities in the safety and availability of blood among nations with high, medium, and low human development indices. Problems include limited availability of donors, laboratory supplies, inappropriate use of scarce resources and weakness or lack of national blood transfusion services and standards." -- Dr. Jean Emmanuel, Director of Blood Safety and Clinical Technology at the World Health Organization
"Amoung the obstacles to establish modern blood technology in developing countries are the lack of self-sufficiency, unsustainable supplies of reagents and tests, inadequate regulation of blood products, no plans for recruitment of volunteer donors, insufficient funds, and lack of training for staff." --Dr. Mohammed El-Nageh, International Consortium for Blood Safety
"The prevelance of transfusion-transmissible disease in a developing country is roughly 100 times in the donor population compared to the developed world. The smaller size of blood banks and the absence of health insurance in developing countries are an immediate constraint against expensive safety measures." --Dr. Jean-Piere Alain
"Some rural communities in China have some of the highest localized rates of HIV infection in the world: some say 20 percent." --Elisabeth Rosenthal, New York Times, October 28, 2000
"In most developing countries there are small, private markets for safe blood that meets the highest standards, but these comprise only about 10 percent of the total market." --Dr. Rajen Dalal
Analysis of air and blood samples from the summit of Mount Everest in 1981 required construction of specialized equipment that could be carried in a back pack and which could be powered by batteries or solar panels. This work led to development of instruments and techniques that were critical to the development of Hemospan TM .
Some anthropological groups, such as this Sherpa of the Himalaya, can withstand life-long exposure to low oxygen without apparent permanent effects. Other groups which have not resided as long at altitude, such as South American Indians, develop severe problems. Some researchers believe that Sherpas have undergone genetic adaptation to high altitude life.
Collection of expired (alveolar) air on the summit of Mount Everest in 1981 allowed analysis of the delivery of oxygen by red cells which was one the the first clues that in some conditions it may be more desirable for the red cells to bind oxygen more avidly, rather than less, in order to absorb adequate amounts of oxygen in the lungs. This work led to the formulation of the hypotheses which were critical to the theoretical basis of Hemospan TM development.
The study of high altitude residents of South America with "Chronic Mountain Sickness" (or Monge's disease) has been valuable in understanding the way in which normal red cells deliver oxygen as well as how the body regulates its red cell production.
"Last year, the tally of blood transfusions climbed to a record high. More people are donating blood than ever before, but a rapidly aging society is using it up even faster as the number of elective surgeries and medical treatments requiring blood transfusions continues to rise." - Science News, Volume 159, 3/31/01
Btw, the latest is that a group of physicians , in Stockholm, is working to produce
artificial blood that will change from powder state to liquid form.
Greetings, J.C.MacHislopp
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MacHislopp
Hello everyone,
I?m sorry for posting twice the same article. I did really mean to post
this one below:
From : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3207291.stm
Thursday, 23 October, 2003, 10:11 GMT 11:11 UK
PATIENTS GIVEN ARTIFICIAL BLOOD
Dr Pierre LaFolie, chief physician at the Karolinska Hospital, said that if artificial blood were approved for use it could lead to dramatic changes in health care.
He said: "If this really works all the way, then mankind will have taken a big step forward. This is like landing on the moon."
Dr LaFolie said synthetic blood could save time after an accident - particularly as there is no need test a patient's blood type before administering a transfusion.
Rapid effect
The synthetic blood has also been shown to transport oxygen through the body better than real blood, which can help limit damage to the body, for example during a heart attack.
Dr LaFolie said: "In acute situations time is of the essence, within an hour all these things have to be done.
"That's why I think this artificial blood is so important for people."
The blood would be used to complement a patient's own blood, not replace it, as real blood has qualities that the artificial blood lacks.
The synthetic blood has been developed by researchers in the US - the exact process for developing it has been kept secret - and it has been tested for the first time on eight patients at Karolinska Hospital.
Lead researcher Professor Bengt Fagrell said: "There has been no sign that the blood would be rejected.
"This is a molecule that the body's immune system gladly welcomes."
Professor Fagrell said the patients had been administered artificial blood made out of human red blood cells.
However, he said red blood cells from any mammal could be used.
"We have chosen to use human blood for ethical reasons. But we could use blood within the entire mammal chain, such as cow blood."
Belinda Linden, head of medical information at the British Heart Foundation said: "There is limited availability of fresh blood for transfusion.
"This is due to the short-fall of donors and an increased number of surgical procedures which require blood.
" It is becoming more important to consider safe and effective alternatives.
"There have been previous studies examining the potential of red blood cell substitutes, but this process would need to be evaluated with large groups of people before it is considered for approval."
I do hope that this time, it will be right.
Greetings, J.C.MacHislopp
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TD
Unfortunately Hemospan will not make the blood problem go away for the Witnesses, as they refuse more than just red cells.
There are currently no substitutes for platelets, (which the Witnesses also refuse) and none on the immediate horizon.
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happy man
As fare as I know it is upp to your one connsiense if you can take blodfraktions from evry diffrent part of blood, even if it is red blodcels, when I read about his, is sounds like they have take out the oxigen part in the red bloscels, like they take out other things who is a part of blood, so i dont think this is a problem, green light I am sure of, aspecially as a´we ahve read about hemopure as is from cow blood, and have green lioght from GB,
SO the blod issu is solved.
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blondie
No, happyman, they actually leave the oxygen-carrying part in, hemoglobin.
Hemoglobin-based blood substitutes
A personal decision listed in this chart for JWs.
http://www.pennhealth.com/health_info/bloodless/blood_jchart.html
It doesn't change the fact that "stored blood" has to be used to make these substitutes. The Bible (and God) says the blood must be poured out on the ground. Unless the GB outranks the Bible and God.
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TD
No, the blood issue is not solved.
"Blood substitutes" like Optro, Hemopure, Biopure, Hemospan, etc., duplicate the function of only the red cells, which carry oxygen to, and carbon dioxide from the tissues.
However blood performs a number of other important functions in your body besides just carrying oxygen. One of these other functions is achieving and maintaining hemostasis (the cessation of bleeding) in the event of injury. Blood platelets are an integral part of this process.
Thrombocytopenia is a deficiency in either the number or function of platelets. This condition is can be induced by chemotherapy, which is one of the reasons why leukemia patients quite often need transfusions. Sometimes though, thrombocytopenia has no apparent cause whatsoever.
Jehovah's Witnesses consider platelets to be a "major component" of blood and consequently, the acceptance of platelets through transfusion is not a matter of conscience for Jehovah's Witnesses. There are currently no substitutes for platelets and none on the immediate horizon.
Unless and until one of these two conditions changes, the "blood issue" will continue
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concerned mama
Excellent point, TD.