In stories like Twilight and True Blood we’ve seen vampires save humans by giving them their blood. Now, a specific type of synthetic blood has been used to save a human life.

At happened in Australia after a woman lost so much blood in a car accident that she only had 1 liter left in her body:

In a last-ditch effort to save Ms Coakley’s life, 10 units of the haemoglobin-based oxygen carrier HBOC201 were flown in from the US.

The synthetic contains a molecule derived from cow plasma and restored her levels of haemoglobin, which carries oxygen to the tissues.

Associate Professor Mark Fitzgerald said it marked an important step in the development of a viable blood alternative to address worldwide blood supply shortages.

Unlike donor blood, it does not require crossmatching and can be stored without refrigeration for up to three years.
“It’s a bit of science fiction,” Dr Fitzgerald said.

What an amazing story!