Universal Donor Organs Are Becoming A Reality

The possibilities could be endless.

UBC researchers have developed enzymes that can convert organ donations into universal type O blood. Now, for the first time, the technique has been successfully tested in a human model.

The researchers demonstrated that the sugars responsible for blood-type incompatibility can be safely removed before transplantation. This could dramatically expand the donor pool and shorten wait times for type-O patients, who make up more than half of kidney transplant lists worldwide.

The research builds on years of enzyme engineering at UBC and is now being advanced toward clinical trials.

“It’s like removing the red paint from a car and uncovering the neutral prime. Once that’s done, the immune system no longer sees the organ as foreign.”

— Dr. Stephen Withers

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