Scientists intrigued by bacteria that transform blood…

A team of researchers claims to have found a common bacteria that can easily manipulate the enzymes present in blood to transform it into a universal type of donor. This could be a discovery of enormous importance for humanity.

We will be closer to a “universal blood”

This process, if extended to clinical use, could have significant medical and social consequences. Blood reserves worldwide are always scarce, especially in low-income countries – a situation that will become even more serious due to the rapid aging of the population.

Generally speaking, blood groups are determined by the presence of A and B antigens on red blood cells. Group O types do not have any of these antigens.

Healthcare professionals must be extremely careful when it comes to blood types, as transfusing the wrong type can cause the immune system to attack the new blood cells, which can be fatal.

Researchers at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and Lund University in Sweden, who were investigating a solution, discovered that specific enzymes produced by Common intestinal bacteria were able to remove A and B antigenspotentially paving the way to ensuring a constant supply of universal donor blood.

For the first time, the new enzyme cocktails not only remove the well-described A and B antigens, but also extended variants previously not recognized as problematic for transfusion safety.

Maher Abou Hachem, DTU researcher and lead author of a new article on the findings published in the journal Nature Microbiology, said in a statement.

Common enzyme in the human intestine

The idea of ​​removing the enzyme pair has been around for more than 40 years. Despite scientists' efforts, no one had found a way to produce universal donor blood without running the risk of immune reactions, which prevented the idea from being used in clinics.

But now, Abou Hachem and his team have discovered that a common enzyme in the human intestine, called Akkermansia muciniphila, is extremely efficient at breaking down antigens A and B, as they closely resemble the abundant mucus it consumes in the intestine to feed.

What is special about mucosa is that the bacteria, which are able to live in this material, often have tailor-made enzymes to break down the mucosa's sugar structures, which include the ABO blood group antigens. This hypothesis turned out to be correct.

Abou Hachem explained.

A reliable and safe universal blood type would have considerable advantages.

Universal blood will allow more efficient use of donor blood and will also avoid the administration of ABO-incompatible transfusions by mistake, which can have potentially fatal consequences for the recipient.

When we are able to create ABO-universal donor blood, we will simplify the logistics of transporting and administering safe blood products while minimizing blood waste.

Martin Olsson, professor of hematology at Lund University and lead author of the study, said in the statement.

However, it is still too early to say whether the new process can effectively revolutionize blood transfusions. The team now hopes to test their new process in clinical trials, but even if it proves successful – which is far from a guarantee – any commercial production is still many years away.