The experiment, detailed in Nature Biomedical Engineering, involved treating a kidney from a type A donor with specially engineered enzymes that removed antigenic markers.
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The experiment, detailed in Nature Biomedical Engineering, involved treating a kidney from a type A donor with specially engineered enzymes that removed antigenic markers.
In a game-changing advance in transplant medicine, scientists have successfully changed the blood type of a donor kidney — converting type A antigens to type O — thereby making it universally acceptable for transplant into patients of any blood group. This pioneering feat could dramatically expand the donor pool and save countless lives worldwide.
The experiment, detailed in Nature Biomedical Engineering, involved treating a kidney from a type A donor with specially engineered enzymes that removed antigenic markers. The modified kidney was then transplanted into a recipient (a brain-dead individual) in Chongqing, China. Although the organ functioned for two days before signs of rejection appeared, researchers view this as a historic first step because it demonstrated the conversion in a human model.
Dr. Stephen Withers of the University of British Columbia, who co-led the enzyme development, described the result as “invaluable insight” into how the strategy could be refined for longer lasting outcomes. The team is now focused on improving longevity, preventing rejection, and preparing for clinical trials pending regulatory approval.
If this method is perfected, it could overcome one of transplantation’s biggest obstacles: compatibility. Since blood type compatibility is one of the key barriers in organ matching, the ability to neutralize blood type differences could allow any kidney to serve any recipient, vastly improving access to life-saving grafts and reducing wait times for patients with rarer blood groups.
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