Almost everyone believes that a person has blood type will remain the same for the rest of his life. But it turns out, this assumption is wrong. With a simple method, a doctor may change the types of blood groups.
The
breakthrough could be the solution of the problem of blood shortage by
increasing the blood supply of O that can be given to anyone. In
an article published the journal Nature Biotechnology, an international
research team describes how they can change the blood of type A, B or
AB blood into type O.
Simple sugar molecules on the surface of red blood cells, called antigen determines a person''s blood type. One
type of antigen will determine the blood type A, while others determine
the blood group antigen B, and those who have both types of antigen
have blood type AB. People who have no antigens have blood type O, and account for about 40 percent of the population.
The immune system recognizes antigenic itself, but consider other types of antigens as foreign intruders. That is why people with blood type A can not receive a transfusion from someone with blood type B. His immune system will attack the new blood as foreign, thus making blood recipients became seriously ill. Because blood type O has no antigens, then it can be accepted by the immune system of people with blood type A, B, and AB.
Researchers
led by Professor Henrik Clausen from the University of Copenhagen to
check 2,500 types of fungi and bacteria to search for useful proteins. After
a long search, note the two types of bacteria, namely Elizabethkingia
meningosepticum and Bacterioides fragilis, produce enzymes that are able
to release antigens that define blood group A and B from blood cells.
"It''s
a fairly simple process. Main obstacle is finding the right enzymes
that can remove only one molecule of sugar and leave the other molecules
on the cell surface remains intact," said Prof Clausen as reported by
Boston.com on Monday (2/27/2012).
Bacteroides fragilis will eliminate the antigen B, whereas the meningosepticum Elizabethkingia can eliminate antigen A. With this method, the doctor may change the patient who has blood type A, B, and AB blood into type O. Nevertheless, this technology still needs further study.
"This
is a good technology because it can increase the blood supply type O
blood group, but the conversion is not as simple as imagined. Fact is,
when the modified cells, may lead to risk and unexpected change," said
Steve Sloan, director of transfusion medicine at Boston children Children''s Hospital.
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