Treatment of diseases with blood made from the skin of the patient

Patients can now " produce their own blood " to save themselves. Scientists found that by injecting skin cells with DNA proteins and a mixture of molecules they could turn them into blood cells.

This means that patients who need blood transfusions, such as those with cancer and leukemia, may be provided with perfectly matched blood, with no risk of infection.

Blood donation can become a thing of the past, if the patient needs blood transfusions, the doctor can produce blood from the patient's own skin.

Researchers took skin cells from adults of different age groups and infants and found that no matter how old they were, their skin could be transformed into blood cells.

Now, scientists want to check if blood cells can be safely transferred into the human body: similar to normal blood transfusions. The inspection will be conducted in 2012, improving the prospect that the technique may be available in hospitals in the next few years.

The discovery, published in the journal Nature, is the first time scientists have turned living skin cells into blood cells. They say this method is very fast because it produces adult blood, instead of immature blood taken when using an embryo or fetus.

Researcher Mickie Bhatia, of McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, said: " I see the new blood of patients with leukemia, can take skin cells and convert them into healthy blood, specifically for adults, will provide a great alternative to hope to compete with white blood cells. "

Dr Lesley Walker, who works at Cancer Research UK, UK, said: "This is a big step forward to really overcome the problem of finding the perfect match for cancer patients who need to transmit. blood, and it is capable of saving many lives.

" We really look forward to seeing whether this process can be done quickly and cheaply enough to be used in clinics ."

Professor John Hunt, a stem cell scientist at the University of Liverpool, said: " This is a great study, but it is not available in the clinic and we do not know if red blood cells will carry. This oxygen opens up many doors, and if we can produce red blood cells we want to be dealing with a big clinical need . "

This study also raises the prospect that cell types can be made from skin cells. Scientists can create brain cells from the skin to help treat Alzheimer's or Parkinson's patients, for example.

The researchers said it would be possible for people with rare blood types to develop their blood, and chill or for their personal use or to help others in the same blood type.