Bacterial enzyme strips away blood types to create universal donor blood

Amazing stuff! Good news!

"... Researchers at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and Lund University, Sweden, have used enzymes produced by a common gut bacteria to remove the A and B antigens from red blood cells, bringing them one step closer to creating universal donor blood. ..."

"The quest to develop universal donor blood has taken a decisive step forward. Researchers at DTU and Lund University have discovered enzymes that, when mixed with red blood cells, are able to remove specific sugars that make up the A and B antigens in the human AB0 blood groups. ..."

From the abstract:

"Matching donor and recipient blood groups based on red blood cell (RBC) surface ABO glycans and antibodies in plasma is crucial to avoid potentially fatal reactions during transfusions. Enzymatic conversion of RBC glycans to the universal group O is an attractive solution to simplify blood logistics and prevent ABO-mismatched transfusions. The gut symbiont Akkermansia muciniphila can degrade mucin O-glycans including ABO epitopes. Here we biochemically evaluated 23 Akkermansia glycosyl hydrolases and identified exoglycosidase combinations which efficiently transformed both A and B antigens and four of their carbohydrate extensions. Enzymatic removal of canonical and extended ABO antigens on RBCs significantly improved compatibility with group O plasmas, compared to conversion of A or B antigens alone. Finally, structural analyses of two B-converting enzymes identified a previously unknown putative carbohydrate-binding module. This study demonstrates the potential utility of mucin-degrading gut bacteria as valuable sources of enzymes for production of universal blood for transfusions."

Bacterial enzyme strips away blood types to create universal donor blood Using enzymes produced by a bacteria that almost everyone has in their gut, researchers have removed the antigens from red blood cells that determine blood type, putting us within reach of producing universal donor blood.

Enzymes open new path to universal donor blood (original news release) Researchers at DTU and Lund University have discovered enzymes that remove hindrances that stood in the way of developing universal donor blood.

Akkermansia muciniphila exoglycosidases target extended blood group antigens to generate ABO-universal blood (no public access)

Fig. The AB0 blood group antigens found on the surface of red blood cells are also found on the mucosal layer that lines the surface of the gut.