Scientists are trying to grow this rare blood type in a lab

Got “golden” blood?

Fewer than 50 people on Earth do. Their veins carry Rh-null , an ultra-rare blood type experts say could help save countless lives.

Now scientists are racing to grow it in a lab — a breakthrough that could transform blood transfusions around the world.

The American Red Cross considers a blood type “rare” when it occurs in fewer than 1 in 1,000 people. At roughly 1 in 6 million, Rh-null is the rarest of them all.

But to understand why it’s so extraordinary, you first need to know how blood types are classified.

Blood types are determined by antigens, the proteins and sugars on red blood cells that signal to the immune system what blood belongs in the body and what doesn’t.

“If you get transfused with donor blood that contains different antigens to your own bloo