First human transplant of kidney modified to have 'universal' blood type

"Currently, organs from deceased donors can be transplanted into people only if they have a compatible blood type. This is because the recipient's immune system can produce antibodies to attack and destroy the donated organ if the donor and recipient have different antigens, which come in two types: A and B. Organs that are blood type O do not have A or B antigens, so anyone can receive them."

"Researchers from Canada and China used an enzyme to remove type-A antigens from a donor kidney. The enzyme converts type-A blood into type-O, says study author Stephen Withers, a chemist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. The type-O kidney was then transplanted into a 68-year-old brain-dead man in Chongqing, China. The organ remained healthy for two days before showing signs of rejection. It produced urine for six days."

"The results are groundbreaking, says Natasha Rogers, a transplant clinician at Westmead Hospital in Sydney, Australia. They could improve access to donor organs and reduce transplant wait lists. If the blood type of the organ was no longer a barrier for transplantation, physicians could focus on things such as matching other antigens unrelated to blood type, which are important in terms of how long a transplant will last, she adds"

An enzyme removed type-A antigens from a donor kidney, converting the organ to blood type O. The converted kidney was transplanted into a 68-year-old brain-dead man in Chongqing, China; the organ produced urine for six days and remained healthy for two days before showing signs of rejection. The enzyme was first identified in 2019, and in 2022 a type-A lung was converted to type O, though that lung was not transplanted. Converting donor organs to type O could remove blood-type compatibility barriers, increase access to donor organs, and shift focus to matching other antigens affecting transplant longevity.

Read at Nature