Type-O patients can only receive type-O organs, yet type-O kidneys are often given to other blood types due to their universal compatibility
Kidney transplant waitlist patients who are blood type O have to wait two to four years longer than others. REPRESENTATION PIC/ISTOCK
For the first time, a University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada team, successfully performed a human transplant of a kidney converted from blood type A to the universal type O. The procedure relies on UBC’s special enzymes as a key tool to reduce organ rejection.
Type-O patients can only receive type-O organs, yet type-O kidneys are often given to other blood types due to their universal compatibility. The researchers’ initial goal was to create universal donor blood by removing the sugars that determine blood type.
But they found these same sugars (antigens) also cover organ blood vessels. An enzyme-converted kidney was transplanted into a brain-dead recipient. It initially functioned well, but a mild reaction, far less severe than a normal, was noticed on the third day.
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