Posted by
Akinola Olusegun
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Posted by
Akinola Olusegun
on
- Get link
- Other Apps
Universal Cure For Blood Shortages
Medical scientists have discovered a simple method of converting blood from one group
to another.
Accordingly, the development could mean the end of transfusion shortages by boosting supplies of group O negative blood.
It is termed 'universal' because it can be given to people of any group and is in high demand for emergencies. This is quite important because giving patients the wrong blood can result in a severe immune reaction and even death.
Writing in the journal Nature Biotechnology, the scientists, led by Professor Henrik Clausen from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark described how they converted blood from group A, B or AB to group O.
Blood is classified according to the sugar molecules, antigens, on the surface of red cells. A damaging immune response can be triggered if a patient receives blood from a group carrying a different molecule to their own.
The team used bacterial enzymes as biological 'scissors' to cut out the sugar molecules in only an hour. This effectively changed the blood to antigen-free Group O.
Medical scientists have discovered a simple method of converting blood from one group
to another.
Accordingly, the development could mean the end of transfusion shortages by boosting supplies of group O negative blood.
It is termed 'universal' because it can be given to people of any group and is in high demand for emergencies. This is quite important because giving patients the wrong blood can result in a severe immune reaction and even death.
Writing in the journal Nature Biotechnology, the scientists, led by Professor Henrik Clausen from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark described how they converted blood from group A, B or AB to group O.
Blood is classified according to the sugar molecules, antigens, on the surface of red cells. A damaging immune response can be triggered if a patient receives blood from a group carrying a different molecule to their own.
The team used bacterial enzymes as biological 'scissors' to cut out the sugar molecules in only an hour. This effectively changed the blood to antigen-free Group O.
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