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This is a feat which, if it materializes, could revolutionize the field of transplantation in humans. A team of Canadian researchers succeeded in converting the blood type of a type A lung to the universal type O. An advance that would allow the organ to be transplanted, regardless of the blood group of the recipient.
It is a Canadian team that is behind this feat. Indeed, scientists have developed a “neutral” lung that can be transplanted into any patient, regardless of their blood group. Their results are published in the journal Science Translational Medicineon February 16.
Change from blood group A to blood group O
The researchers thus succeeded in changing the blood group of the graft from type A to universal type O. To do this, they studied two pairs of type A lungs, having treated one of the two pairs with an enzyme present in our tube digestive, and keeping the other pair as a control.
The enzyme in question has the capacity to degrade the antigens which characterize the blood group, present on the surface of the cells and which trigger rejection in the event of a different blood group. The two human lungs were then irrigated with blood from a type O patient and were even transplanted in the laboratory, to simulate a real transplant.
No rejection for the lung changed to blood group O. Result: the lungs treated with the enzyme were well tolerated while the others showed signs of rejection. For Dr Stephen Withers, a biochemist who co-led the experiment, this opens “a gateway to create universal blood type organs”. Canadian scientists hope to launch a human clinical trial within two years to attempt a real transplant in a patient.
The blood group, an important element
Blood type is determined by the presence of molecules on the surface of red blood cells, called antigens. Only people with blood group O do not have antigens. If the blood type of the graft does not match that of the recipient, rapid rejection of the organ occurs and can be fatal for the transplant patient.
This is why blood transfusions can only be performed with two patients of the same group or donors with type O blood, which have no antigens. The blood group factor is therefore a first-order element to be taken into account in the context of a transplant.
A brake that creates a shortage for some patients
This can even be a hindrance for patients with a rare blood group, who have to wait much longer than others to have a compatible graft. And this longer waiting time affects the survival of patients, who sometimes die without being able to be transplanted. According to Dr. Marcelo Cypel, surgeon at the Canadian University Health Network and lead author of the study: “With the current matching system, wait times can be significantly longer for patients who need a transplant based on their blood type. Having universal organs means we could break down the blood-matching barrier and prioritize patients by medical emergency, saving more lives and wasting fewer organs.”.