Scien tists Convert Blood for Universal Use

Danish researchers have perfected an inexpensive and efficient way to convert types A, B and AB blood into type O, the universal-donor blood that can be given to anyone — an achievement that promises to make transfusions safer and relieve shortages of type O blood.

The team reported Sunday in the journal Nature Biotechnology that they isolated bacterial enzymes that safely remove from red blood cells the sugar molecules that provoke an immune reaction in the recipient.


SOURCE:
Seattle Times

This is great news.
Blood transfusions can be a very tricky thing because of the varying
different blood types, and in the case of AB because of the extreme
rarity of individuals with it.

This technique is sure to save alot of lives.


Comments, Opinions?

That is sweet, especially if it doesn't damage the blood cells.

There's still a big need for synthetic blood replacements, though. If they could get a really effective synthetic with no major side effects, you could help a lot of people with vascular issues.

Like sickle cell, for example. During a sickling episode, blood plasma can get past the blockages but not red cells. If you had a fluorocarbon synthetic with a particle size much smaller than a cell, it could get past the blocks and not only oxygenate the tissue, but also restore the sickled cells to normal faster.

Same with ischemic strokes and most heart attacks. You might be able to get a fluid synthetic where a red blood cell can't get, long enough to do a bypass or some intravascular surgery to open the vessel back up.

This is a great advance, but unfortunately they haven't yet solved the RH negative factor, so this blood is not for everyone. Still, it has a lot of promise and this development should be watched.