From Medical Waste to Medical Breakthrough: Giving Human Blood Products a Second Life
Most of us know that donated blood can save lives. But what happens when donated blood products reach the end of their usable shelf life?
Different components of donated blood can be stored for different lengths of time. Red blood cells, for example, can generally be kept for several weeks, while platelets have a much shorter shelf life. Plasma, on the other hand, can be stored considerably longer under appropriate conditions. When these blood components are no longer suitable for transfusion, they eventually must be discarded.
But what if some of this medical waste could be given a second life?
This is the question being explored by Dr Christina Lee Lai Ling, Transfusion Medicine Consultant at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre, together with her research team. Instead of simply allowing expired platelets to go to waste, the researchers are exploring how they can be transformed into a valuable material for biomedical research and future healthcare applications. The answer lies in Human Platelet Lysate (HPL).
HPL is produced from human platelets and contains naturally occurring substances that help cells grow and repair themselves. Although platelets that have passed their transfusion shelf life can no longer be given to patients, they may still contain biologically useful components. By processing these platelets under carefully controlled conditions, researchers can turn what would otherwise be discarded into a potentially valuable resource.
A More Ethical Alternative
One of the most promising uses of HPL is as an alternative to Foetal Bovine Serum (FBS), an animal-derived product commonly used to grow cells in laboratories.
For decades, FBS has played an important role in biomedical research, including tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and cell culture. However, its animal origin raises ethical concerns and other scientific considerations, particularly as researchers move towards developing treatments intended for human use.
HPL provides a human-derived alternative.
Researchers worldwide are increasingly studying HPL because of its ability to support the growth of different types of human cells. Dr Christina and her team are contributing to this growing field by investigating how expired platelets available locally can be processed and reused rather than discarded.
The approach offers another important advantage: cost.
Commercially produced materials used for cell culture can be expensive. Producing HPL from suitable expired platelet units could potentially provide researchers with a more affordable local source while simultaneously reducing medical waste.
Small Cells, Big Potential
Platelets may be tiny, but they contain an impressive collection of growth factors and other biologically active substances. These include platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), all of which play important roles in cell growth, tissue repair and healing.
HPL has also attracted interest for its ability to support the growth of mesenchymal stem cells, a type of cell widely investigated in regenerative medicine. Studies have shown that HPL can effectively support the expansion of these cells, making it an increasingly important area of biomedical research.
Its potential applications may extend even further. Researchers are investigating platelet-derived products for areas such as wound healing, persistent corneal epithelial defects and regenerative approaches related to joint and tissue repair.
Many of these applications remain areas of active scientific investigation, but they demonstrate how something once regarded simply as medical waste may hold considerable value.
Turning Waste into Opportunity
For Dr Christina, Miss Nazatul Shima (Dr Christina’s Master’s student) and their team, the work represents more than a laboratory experiment. It reflects a broader shift towards making healthcare and biomedical research more sustainable, ethical and resource efficient.
Every donated blood product begins with an act of generosity. While its first purpose will always be to help patients who need transfusions, finding safe and scientifically appropriate ways to make use of blood components that can no longer be transfused could extend the value of that donation. Instead of asking only, “How do we dispose of expired platelets?”, researchers are asking a different question: “What else can we do with them?”
That change in thinking—from disposal to reuse—could reduce healthcare waste, lower research costs and support Malaysia’s capacity in regenerative medicine and biomedical innovation. The journey from expired platelets to Human Platelet Lysate is therefore more than a story about recycling. It is about seeing value where others might see waste. And sometimes, the next medical breakthrough may begin with something we were about to throw away.
SDGs Addressed
 | Through medical advancement.
|
 | Through biomedical innovation.
|
 | By converting medical waste into a valuable resource. |
Researcher featured:
Dr Christina Lee Lai Ling
Department of Medicine,
Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya
Area of Expertise:
Medicine > Medical Sciences > Transfusion Medicine
Get to know the researcher:
Dr Christina is a Medical Lecturer from the Department of Medicine, Universiti Malaya. Her area of expertise is on transfusion medicine and has published many work in the field. She has also spoken to international audiences on advancements in the field of transfusion medicine and has also been featured on television discussing the benefits of blood donation.
For further inquiries, please contact:
Email: christina.lee@um.edu.my
Tel: +60379492855
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3073-5502
Web of Science (WoS): https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/record/IXN-2787-2023
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=XWaIGvkAAAAJ
Author:
Research Outreach & Visibility Centre (OVIS), JPP, UM
Copy-editor:
Siti Farhana Bajunid Shakeeb Arsalaan Bajunid
Research Outreach & Visibility Centre (OVIS), JPP, UM
Comments