A hemoglobin-based blood substitute: transplanting a novel allosteric effect of crocodile Hb.

Recombinant DNA technology has enabled the large scale production of human hemoglobin in bacteria and yeast. This has opened up a way to produce a hemoglobin-based blood substitute which could replace conventional blood transfusion in some situations. Using our understanding of the structure-function relationships and evolutionary history of hemoglobin it has been possible to improve the oxygen transport properties of the molecule and solve a number of problems associated with the use of natural hemoglobin as a cell-free blood substitute.