For the first time, scientists have succeeded in changing the blood type of dead people’s kidneys. A revolutionary discovery that could increase the number of kidneys available for organ transplants.
Kidney
About 121,678 people are currently waiting for lifesaving organ transplants in the U.S of whom 100,791 Americans are waiting to receive a new kidney.
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This progress could have an impact on the treatment of patients suffering from kidney problems. In a press release, researchers at Cambridge University in the UK announced that they had succeeded in changing the blood type of three kidneys from deceased donors to universal type O.
An enzyme acts as molecular scissors
For the experiment, the British researchers used a normothermic infusion machine, a device that attaches to a human kidney to send oxygenated blood through the organ to better preserve it for future use. The team used this machine to pass enzyme-infused blood through the kidneys of deceased adult humans.
According to the researchers, the enzyme acted as “molecular scissors” to remove blood group markers that line the blood vessels of the kidneys. This method allowed the organ to be transformed into a type O kidney in a matter of hours. “Our confidence was really boosted when we applied the enzyme to a piece of human kidney tissue and very quickly saw the antigens removed,” says Serena MacMillan, who led the trial.
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Impact on ethnic minority patients
The kidney of a person with blood type A cannot be transplanted into a person with blood type B or vice versa. However, by changing the blood type to O, which is the universal type, more transplants can be done, since O can be used for people with all blood types. “It’s very exciting to think what an impact this could have on so many lives,” said Serena MacMillan.
According to the team, the discovery could have a particular impact on people from ethnic minorities, who often wait a year longer than other patients to receive a transplant. “In 2020 and 2021, just over 9% of total organ donations will come from black and ethnic minority donors, while black and ethnic minority patients make up 33% of the kidney transplant waiting list,” the researchers explained.
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Now they will observe how the kidney whose blood type has been altered will respond to the patient’s usual blood type. “Now we need to see if our methods can be effective in a clinical setting and ultimately used for transplantation,” said Mike Nicholson, who co-led the trial. The full results of their study are expected to be published in the British Journal of Surgery in the coming months.
