Ambrosia, the Young Blood Transfusion Startup, Is Quietly Back in Business (medium.com) 83
Earlier this year, Ambrosia, the much-maligned California startup selling blood transfusions from young donors, stopped offering the procedure after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a buyer beware, warning consumers against using the service. But now, according to Ambrosia's CEO, the company is back up and running. From a report: Jesse Karmazin, the CEO and founder of Ambrosia, told OneZero in an interview that the company had resumed giving customers transfusions of plasma, the colorless liquid part of the blood, from young donors about a month ago. "Our patients really want the treatment," he said. "Patients are receiving plasma transfusions from donors ages 16 to 25 again." One-liter transfusions cost $8,000, and two-liter transfusions are $12,000. In a pitch about Ambrosia at a 2017 conference on self-enhancement, Karmazin said, "We're a company interested in making you young again." Plasma contains proteins that help the blood clot, and transfusions are often performed on patients to manage excessive bleeding, such as in trauma cases, and to treat clotting disorders like hemophilia. But experts say there's no basis for using plasma to slow or reverse aging or age-related diseases, like Karmazin has claimed. Critics have blasted Karmazin's transfusions as snake oil.
OK Boomer (Score:3, Funny)
The Boomers are taking all the Millenials blood! Blood sucking leeches!
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Why should I bother with this company when I can just ambush a millenial in a goth nightclub and take the blood?
Re: (Score:3)
How the hell is parent offtopic when TFA is literally about transfusing plasma from young people into old people?
Re: (Score:1)
The only thing modded up on any site nowadays is fake troll bullshit.
Re: (Score:3)
How the hell is parent offtopic when TFA is literally about transfusing plasma from young people into old people?
It isn't, but it triggered a boomer snowflake with modpoints. It's easy for me to recognize because I'm not just a member of the club, I'm also the president. At least, of the Slashdot chapter.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: OK Boomer (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
" likely snack oil "
Sounds delish, where can I buy some?
That's not how it works (Score:1)
Why don't they present the scientific evidence that plasma transfusions from young people could potentialy slow down aging, before charging ridiculous prices to sell an illusion to gullible and possibly desperate people ?
Everytime a post about some sociopathic crooks trying to pull some obvious scam is posted on this site, there's always someone trying to defend them.
Re: (Score:2)
Besides, as long as no medical claims are being made or there's no dishonesty about the efficacy of what's being done, adults should be free to choose what they want to do with their bodies. If you're so concerned about this, you should probably go after all of the other quack and homeopathic cures that are being peddled to the average schlub in much larger volumes.
Re: (Score:2)
Seriously - tons of obivous harmful issues including way too much sugar, carbs, fat, salt, sedentary lifestyles - and people a freaking out over this.
The number of heart attacks and diabetes from addressable issues is huge.
Re: (Score:2)
They are selling plasma for $8000 per liter. From blood they buy from blood banks.
So they are scamming donors (regardless if they are giving their blood altruistically OR selling it because living in capitalism forces them to literally bleed for rent), blood banks and their patients by creating inflated demand and shortage of blood.
And then there is the damage this is doing to the public trust in the donor system.
That one is probably already in billions of dollars and decades of damage.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
If, when you were younger you were both poorer and more gullible, then yes.
Re: (Score:2)
If, when you were younger you were both poorer and more gullible, then yes.
So...yes!
Re: (Score:3)
If transferring arbitrary bodily fluids from a young person to someone older will somehow ritard or reverse aging, I know plenty of kids who will gladly spit in your mouth for a lot cheaper.
Re: (Score:2)
Just because *you* don't know a word, doesn't mean it's not a real word.
Re: (Score:3)
"Just another example of satanist practices "
The only people that think Satan is real are Christians.
"being pushed for mainstream acceptance."
Um, what?
Re: (Score:1)
And, of course, Satan.
A shout out to the developers of the Diablo franchise, by the way. You're doing God's work, even if dense bipeds generally only relent to popularity.
Re: (Score:2)
>
The only people that think Satan is real are Christians.
The Islamic faith does seem think this too. But they have a lot more ambivalence towards this entity and they seem to think there is actually more than one of these.
Anyways, "satanist practices" is descriptive and does not really need the religious context. It can be seen as a synonym for certain types of "death magic".
Re: (Score:2)
Anyways, "satanist practices" is descriptive and does not really need the religious context. It can be seen as a synonym for certain types of "death magic".
Erzsébet Báthory was a Calvinist Protestant. Just gettin' that out there.
Re: (Score:2)
Evil people of all colors have used any and all religions as cover in the past, and will continue to do so until humanity finally overcomes the atavistic idea of religion. If that ever happens. My take is that there will probably always be some weak of mind but strong in belief and some others exploiting that.
Bad enough if it is snake oil (Score:2)
But imagine if it has legit health benefits. How long will it be before we're "organ banking" and using manditory blood donations for crimes?
Larry Niven was way too close for comfort....
Re: (Score:2)
Larry Niven is a crank. Technology always improves, remember? Even *he* wrote "A Gift From Earth" that centered around new organ technology that grew organs from buds in a vessel.
Re: (Score:2)
I think I have not read that book of his. Have a reference?
Re: (Score:2)
It's part of his "ARM" short stories about organleggers. Putting criminals in the "organ banks" is part of his Known Space backstory.
Re: (Score:2)
Thanks!
Re: (Score:2)
It does (Score:2)
Not sure about the risks. When you're in for Chemo they don't worry as much about such things. But there is absolutely more than snake oil here.
And China has been killing dissidents for organ harvesting for at least a decade or two now. Multiple doctors have come forward with horror stories of being forced to
Re: (Score:3)
Of course they felt better. The chemo had damaged their ability to replace their own blood, so the transfusion made their blood closer to normal.
The age of the donor didn't likely have anything to do with those patients feeling better.
Re: (Score:2)
Which the China shills, paid or not, conveniently forget about.
How can you have any warm feelings whatsoever for any government that would do such a thing? It's evil.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
It's true that CRISPR isn't terribly expensive but you need to know the individual's genome in order to do targeted hacks. There are some well-known specific mutations like the one that causes sickle-cell, that we should be able to mass-produce a genetic cure for (awesome!) but we don't know exactly which genes affect aging and how. Any anti-aging gene treatment will probably have to be tailored to the individual because everyone's got a different set of aging-related gene variants. It will take a long time
Re: (Score:2)
to insert a new line on /.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Larry Niven was way too close for comfort....
Organlegging actually happens in China [theguardian.com]. And not "just" of Falun Gong, either. When convicted of a capital crime the prisoner is removed in a death van, and their family never sees their body again. Niven wasn't just close, he hit the bulls-eye.
You're doing it wrong (Score:3)
This is useless.
Symbolic blood administered in the form of wine has a much longer safety track record. And it expands your metaphysics without the necessity of needles.
Re: (Score:2)
And at that price, you can get something like 100l of really good wine and that is at the very least assured to increase your quality of life temporarily!
Who wants to live long if that life is not fun....
I know, I know, a lot of people desperately afraid of death do. One wonders whether they know they have not done anything worthwhile with their lives or what their issue is. Fascinatingly, the religious fuckups are usually much more afraid of death than atheists. If they actually believed what they claim to
Re: (Score:2)
Who wants to live long if that life is not fun....
Oh, no worries there. That you don't know why, is irrelevant.
people desperately afraid of death do
Not "desperately afraid of death", naturally, because my worldview logically leads to the conclusion that I should not be. You, however, are afraid of it, as a consequence of your default biological nature. Again, direct unavoidable logic, whether you choose to lie about it or not. The exception would be, of course, if you don't mind losing absolutely everything of value to you, because you are mentally ill, or you have concluded your life i
Re: (Score:2)
Well, your conclusions about me are pretty much wrong. I can conclude, however, that you do not really understand that "logic" idea. Logic is a tool. Its conclusions have no relation to reality. That is always only created by the axioms you put into your theory. You are probably mistaking atheism for physicalism and then conclude that physical existence is everything. That is not a valid scientific stance at this time. And no, I need not BS mysticism for that either, I just do understand what Science actual
Re: (Score:2)
then conclude that physical existence is everything
I think, whichever position you ascribe to yourself after this noncommittal dodging, you've just broken the projection meter.
And no, logic is the only method of establishing validity to relationships of premises. You are arguing that some -premises- are unprovable axioms, which is true--that however has nothing to do with the validity of logic.
Re: (Score:2)
I think, whichever position you ascribe to yourself after this noncommittal dodging, you've just broken the projection meter.
You are free to think whatever you like. Of course, if you want your thoughts to reflect reality, a bit more effort is needed. Here is some actual fact for you: Not a lot, but enough people manage to reach a maturity-level where fear of death (in the sense of existential terror) is not part of their lives anymore and death is just another event that merits reasonable effort to avoid but in no way merits extreme effort or fear. I do understand that people below this maturity level are often so frozen in terr
Re: (Score:1)
Remembering the shit I used to put in my blood when I was 16-24 years old I'm not sure the basic premise holds up, TBH.
People are stupid... (Score:2)
And, surprisingly (or perhaps not, but anyways pointing to capitalism being broken), some of the really stupid ones have a lot of money...
And the donors make...? (Score:2)
Now I'm curious where Ambrosia gets their blood, and what they pay for it. Google is offering no hints.
A typical blood donor gets paid $10-$60 per donation of about half a liter of plasma. Not sure how much screening and the transfusion itself costs, but I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that almost all of that $8,000 is pure profit.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm sure a lot of money goes toward screening the donated blood for blood-borne pathogens, as well as a large legal piggy-bank to pay out claims when the screening fails.
You can't screen for everything: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Re: (Score:2)
I would think the "young people" most likely to be "willing" to do this are street kids.
I must admit I'll find it hilarious if, a few years from now, we find out a bunch of Ambrosia's rich customers have come down with hepatitis C.
Re: (Score:1)
Could the plasma contain remants of drugs? If so, maybe that's why it feels so good. Kid shoots up, donates drug-laced plasma, injects plasma into wealthy old coot - and bam he feels goood for a while!
Re: (Score:2)
Why count on the kids? Mix a little medical-grade morphine into the plasma, and away they go!
In truth though I recall that there has been some animal research that suggests that young blood can have a rejuvenating effect. That might have just been fetal blood though, which is probably a lot more likely to contain "magic" components than the blood of young adults. And it seems unlikely that whatever it is would make you feel any better in the short term. So yeah... spiking the blood seems like a great mar
Re: (Score:2)
I would think the "young people" most likely to be "willing" to do this are street kids.
I kind of picture the scene from Blade 3 where there's a warehouse full of people in what are essentially vacuum seal bags being milked for blood.
Re: (Score:2)
Now I'm curious where Ambrosia gets their blood, and what they pay for it. Google is offering no hints.
A typical blood donor gets paid $10-$60 per donation of about half a liter of plasma.
I'm guessing it comes from whatever meth head that's willing to sell. Or it's just saline. What customer could tell the difference?
At least that's what I'd do.
Re: (Score:2)
I bet they save even more money but not screening the blood, and paying homeless people $5.
"interested in making you young again" (Score:2)
FTFY.
How do they get the blood? (Score:2)
Presumably there has to be some form of enticement, dishonesty, or both in convincing donors to choose "anti-aging snake oil for old rich people" as the ultimate use of their blood instead of actual, helpful medical uses.
Re: (Score:1)
I wonder if they exchange something of value in order to obtain the blood?
No (Score:1)
Countess Bathory (Score:2)
Lazarus, is that you? (Score:2)
This "idea" seems to be taken whole hog from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein.
And it didn't even work there till they could grow blood without the inconvenience of taking it out of other people....
But, since there's one born every minute, and one is soon parted from his money, I expect they'll do alright.
At least till they get sued into oblivion....
Want to make it work popularly? (Score:3)
Work only with folks with Hemochromatosis.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
It's a huge population. Literally the most common genetic-based disease that people have in the world. Basically just a gut condition that doesn't filter out iron, so it slowly builds up in the blood/tissues over years.
They generally NEED to have blood drawn on a periodic basis - and often have to PAY for it, since some blood taking organizations will refuse to donate the blood based on really old science and mostly open greed. The blood is perfectly viable as donor blood, by every modern scientific test.
Provide free service to draw from these folks, and free genetic screenings/service for the disease in places prone to the condition.
Then you'll have a huge supply on the cheap, be seen as more of a public service, and then you're free to do what you're doing now, plus have another income stream from working with other blood organizations with whatever you can't turn around quickly otherwise.
Ryan Fenton
Re: (Score:2)
Correction: The prevalence I said above is overstated for the general population. It's only the top among certain european populations, where it is a 1/200 prevalence. Sorry - got my sources confused. For reference, I have relatives with the disease, but I do not have it myself.
Ryan Fenton
Re: (Score:2)
Are we in a simulation? (Score:3)
Vampires (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
Company spokesman Dr. Alucard (Score:2)
I just came here for the Bathory comments (Score:1)
Why plasma? (Score:2)
Whole blood transfusions from healthy young to weak old have demonstrated health improvements in old people. These improvements probably last no longer than the transferred red blood cells last, but that's 3 or 4 months. Many old people have low red blood cell count and/or deformed red blood cells; the mechanism for improvement is obvious.
Ambrosia's prices are ripoff territory. There's something dishonest going on here.
Selling blood is stupid... (Score:1)
... and buying it from these conmen is stupider.
Here in Italy, however, selling blood is not allowed. This is a clever way to avoid broke people that could also have serious health problems (drug addiction is the first that come to my mind). If you donate you do it because you want to help.
I usually donate 1-2 times a year and beside the warm fuzzy feeling (you are helping somebody in need) and the free tests, as an added bonus, I also get a breakfast for free :-)
No such thing as Immortality (Score:2)