Technology to boost blood supply
July 10 2007 at 11:52AM
By Regardt Voges
We all have blood running through our veins, and in an emergency it can be the most precious substance on earth, yet it is extremely limited in supply and blood banks have to rely completely on willing blood donors to keep their supply stocked up.
Blood supplies are also type-dependant, which means that the donor and recipient must have a matching blood-type for the blood to be used. There may, however, be a plan to solve this problem.
There are four blood groups: A, B, AB and O, with O being the only "universal" blood group. That means that a person with any blood type can receive type O blood, but if an incompatible blood type is used during transfusion,it could be lethal.
That is because type A and B blood molecules have special sugar molecules attached to their surfaces which act as antigens that can trigger an immune response if, for example, a type A person receives type B blood.
Type AB has both kinds of antigens attached, but type O has neither. That is why it is compatible with all blood types and in such high demand.
A new discovery by Professor Henrik Clausen at the University of Copenhagen might lessen the strain on the world's blood supply and make all types of blood compatible by turning them into type O.
His technique works by using certain enzymes to remove the sugar molecules from the surface of the blood cells. These enzymes were discovered after searching through more than 2 500 fungi and bacteria for potential enzymes.
From this, his team found two bacteria, Elizabethkingia meningosepticum and Bacterioides fragilis, which contained enzymes that can remove the antigens from type A and B blood.
The technology used to change a blood type isn't brand new: it was first suggested in 1980 that enzymes could be used to achieve this.
It was discovered that an enzyme found in green coffee beans could be used to remove the antigens from type B blood and make it universal.
Unfortunately, this technique proved to be very inefficient and it never managed to make a difference to the world's blood supply, but it did form the basis of Clausen's research.
He looked to the bacterial kingdom because of the high diversity of enzymes it possesses.
His team is now working with an American company called
ZymeQuest, in Massachusetts, to put the newly treated blood through medical trials.
If it is established that the treated blood is safe for human use, the technology will be revolutionary and probably become a world standard within a few years.
The article
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Technology to boost blood supply
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