The global need for a safe and adequate blood supply has been an international priority for over 35 years. However, national disasters, emerging infections, political unrest, and economic problems have prevented attainment of these goals. Strategies to improve transfusion therapy have included the development of alternative blood transfusion products. Historically, these products have included soluble oxygen carriers such as recombinant/stabilized hemoglobin, synthetic oxygen carriers, and enzymatically treated red cells. Recently, the possibility to obtain large numbers of “erythroid cells” ex vivo from sources usually discarded, such as cord blood and leukocytes from adult blood, has increased the possibility that erythroid cells expanded ex vivo may represent a valid alternative transfusion product. Since red cells do not have a nucleus and pose lower risk of oncogenicity, it has been proposed that erythroid cells derived ex vivo from human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotency stem cells will represent the first personalized medicinal product.We are interested in top-notch articles that define the state of the art on development of ex vivo generated erythroid transfusion products. Both positive and cautionary papers are welcome. Manuscripts should address topics that include, but are not limited to:

• Need for alternative products for transfusion
• Culture conditions for ex vivo expansion of erythroid cells for transfusion
• Scaled-up production of erythroid cells for transfusion
• Stem cell sources for ex vivo erythroid cell expansion including human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotency stem cells
• Epigenetic modulation of erythroid potency
• Conditions for ex vivo enucleation of erythroid cells
• Immunological challenges and other safety issues posed by ex vivo generated erythroid cells
• Applications of ex vivo expanded erythroid cells for diagnostics and systemic gene and protein delivery
• Any topic that the authors believe is relevant to this subject including additional cell therapy products for transfusion (platelets, dendritic cells, etc.)

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