Scientists converted the blood type of donor kidneys and transplanted organs into humans. This type of procedure could improve access to donors' organs, experts say.

Currently, the organs of deceased donors can only be implanted into a person if they have a compatible blood type. This is because if the donor and recipient have different antigens, the recipient's immune system can produce antibodies to attack and destroy donated organs. A or B antigenSo anyone can receive them.

Researchers in Canada and China used enzymes to remove type A antigen from donor kidneys. The enzyme converts Type A blood to Type O, says Stephen Withers, a chemist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. The Type O kidney was then implanted in a 68-year-old brain dead man in Chungin, China. The organs remained healthy for 2 days before showing signs of rejection. Urine was produced for 6 days. The results are published in Natural Biomedical Engineering today.

The enzyme was first identified in 2019 by some members of the same team. In 2022, they showed that type A lungs can be converted to type OThe organs have not been transplanted into humans.

Natasha Rogers, a transplant clinician at Westmead Hospital in Sydney, Australia, said the results are groundbreaking. They could improve Access to donor organs Reduce port waiting lists. If the organ's blood type is no longer a barrier to transplantation, doctors can focus on something that matches other antigens that are not related to their blood type.