The discovery has resorted to the enzymatic conversion technique of O and may have a major impact on reducing the waiting time for transplants.
The scientists converted a type A kidney into type O and transplanted it into a receiver in brain death. The experimental procedure, detailed in a published in the Biomedical Engineering, demonstrated that the modified kidney It worked for two days before presenting signs of rejection.
Innovation is based on decades of work for exceed the incompatibility of blood types in organ transplants. Human blood types – A, B, AB and O – are defined by antigens that trigger immune responses. Type O, without these antigen, is considered a universal type of donor. Currently, patients with blood type O face the highest waiting for transplants, often two to four years than the remaining.
The new approach, known as the enzymatic conversion of O (ECO), uses specialized enzymes for remove antigen surface of the donated organs. Researchers perfunded the type A kidney with a fluid with these enzymes, a process that took about two hours. When removing antigens, the kidney became less recognizable to the recipient’s immune system, explains the.
This is not the first demonstration of echo. In 2022, a team converted type A lungs to type O, although these have not been transplanted to a person. A different group also tested the method in type B kidneys. In the latest study, however, scientists transplanted the altered organ to a patient with brain death and high anti-A antibody levels.
To monitor kidney tolerance, researchers deliberately jumped standard antibody therapies, usually administered to transplanted patients. The organ worked normally for 48 hours Prior to the reappearance of new antigens A, triggering immunological rejection on the third day.
Experts say the potential impact is significant. More than half of transplant candidates have blood of type O, the group being harder to compatible. When converting donated organs to type O, the waiting time can be reduced and More lives can be saved.
Still, the investigators warn that the technique is still in an early stage. Recent transplantation lasted only a few days, requiring more refinements before widespread clinical use. “I don’t know if this will be universally applied, however, it is certainly a possibility,” explains study co-author Stephen Withers, emeritus teacher of biochemistry at the University of British Columbia.
