Abstract:

Platelets are small colourless cellular fragments in our blood. Platelets functions as blood clotting inducers and also enables fast healing of wounds. Platelets are separated from donated blood in blood banks and transfused for treating Blood disorders, Bone marrow transplants and Cancer. Platelets have a very short life span of only 5-7days and expired platelets are termed as biohazardous waste and disposed accordingly. Expired Platelets can be processed into Lysate (Human Platelet Lysate), which is rich in growth factors and other valuable biomolecules. It is a human derived alternative for growing human cells in lab. Some studies show successful expansion of stem cells with HPL. It produces positive results while treating musculoskeletal conditions and further studies are investigating the use of HPL in treating neurodegenerative disorders and to isolate extracellular vesicles. The problems in platelet upcycling include contamination risks, lack of standardized processing methods, regulatory barriers, stabilization challenges and reverse logistics issues. After expiry, the platelets’ growth factors degrade and bacterial growth occurs, so there is a need of efficient sourcing with quality screening. There is no clear regulatory framework for the reuse of non-transfusing blood products. The aim of this study is to analyze these problems and to provide a sustainable upcycling model for expired platelets.

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Dr. V Sivakumar