Promising Experiment: Scientists Successfully Change Kidney Blood Type

SadaNews - Researchers in the journal "Nature Biomedical Engineering" reported that they succeeded in converting a kidney from blood type "A" to blood type "O" and successfully transplanting it, a breakthrough that could reduce waiting times for new organs and potentially save lives.

Patients with blood type "O" - who make up over half of those on kidney waiting lists - can only receive organs from donors with the same type. However, kidneys from blood type "O" are often transplanted to others because they can match with all other blood types.

The researchers explained that, as a result, patients with blood type "O" typically wait longer, ranging from two to four years, and many die while waiting.

Traditional methods to overcome blood type incompatibility require days of intensive treatment to suppress the recipient's immune system, while the new approach uses special enzymes to effect the change in the organ rather than the patient.

In a first-of-its-kind trial on humans, an enzyme-modified kidney was transplanted into a brain-dead recipient. For two days, the kidney functioned without showing signs of a rapid immune reaction that could destroy the incompatible organ within minutes.

By the third day, the researchers observed a mild reaction, but the damage was much less severe than typical blood type mismatch, and according to the report, there were indications that the body was beginning to accept the new organ.

Dr. Stephen Withers from the University of British Columbia, who helped lead the enzyme development process, stated, "This is the first time we have seen this in a human model. It gives us invaluable insight into how to improve long-term outcomes."

The researchers noted that regulatory approval for clinical trials is the next hurdle.

Source: Reuters