Kidney Transplant Breakthrough: Blood Type Changed for First Time
In a groundbreaking medical feat, scientists have successfully transplanted a donor kidney with a modified blood type into a brain-dead recipient. The procedure, detailed in Nature Biomedical Engineering, could significantly expand the donor pool for those in need of a kidney transplant.
The study, led by Dr. David L. Sachs and colleagues in the year 2000, demonstrated the removal of A-antigens from a donor kidney using an enzymatic method. This allowed the kidney, originally type A, to be safely transplanted into a recipient with type O blood. Previously, a blood type mismatch would have made the organ unsuitable.
The transplanted kidney showed no immediate signs of rejection and was well tolerated for the first two days. However, some evidence of an immune reaction began to appear on the third day. This information provides valuable insights for designing clinical protocols to combat such reactions in future transplants. Notably, this is not the first time this procedure has been successfully performed. Scientists in China have repeated the feat with a type A kidney, and a team from the University of Cambridge has also achieved this with human kidneys and lungs using an enzyme.
With over 100,000 people in the United States alone waiting for a donor organ, with kidneys being the most needed, this breakthrough could potentially save thousands of lives. By expanding the donor pool through blood type modification, more people may find compatible organs, reducing the waitlist and improving overall transplant success rates.
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