You Can Change Your Blood Type To Become A Universal Donor

Some Canadian researchers have found a method to turn blood into a neutral type that can be given to any patient.

One enzyme was created, which helped to change blood types. The enzyme functions by snipping off sugars called antigens, found in Type-A and Type-B blood, making it more like Type-O, which belongs to a "universal donor", which can be given to any person with any blood type.

As the immune system is highly sensitive to blood groups, just small amounts of residual antigens could start an immune response, according to thehindu.

With this enzyme, Jayachandran Kizhakkedathu, from the University of British Columbia, with his team could remove the wide majority of the antigens in Type-A and B blood.

"We produced a mutant enzyme that is very efficient at cutting off the sugars in A and B blood, and is much more proficient at removing the subtypes of the A-antigen that the parent enzyme struggles with," said lead author of the study David Kwan from the University of British Columbia in Canada.

Hence, in order to create enzymes that could snip off sugars, researchers used a new technology called "directed evolution". It involved inserting mutations into the gene that codes for the enzyme, and chose mutants that could cut the antigens.

"The concept is not new but until now we needed so much of the enzyme to make it work that it was impractical. Now I'm confident that we can take this a whole lot further," said Steve Withers, a professor in the Department of Chemistry, according to deccanchronicle.

Hence, in just five generations, the enzyme became 170 times more effective. As researchers can remove most of the antigens in Type-A and B blood, before using it, the enzyme has to remove all the antigens. As the human immune system is very sensitive to different blood groups, just small sprigs of residual antigens could trigger an immune response.

However, this enzyme is not perfect, nor is it a complete type O, which would be important for the enzyme to be used for donor blood. The researchers are working to make the enzyme even more effective so that it can be put to use in a clinical setting, according to popsci.

The findings appeared in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.