Groundbreaking discovery could lead to creation of 'universal donor blood' for first time

(WKRC) — Scientists might be on the right track to a major medical breakthrough that could change medicine forever.

Blood donors are an important part of the world's medical system. It's something that's always needed, but unfortunately, not everyone's blood is compatible with everyone else's. Doctors around the world are constantly worrying about whether or not they have enough blood of a certain type when dealing with blood transfusions.

But new research is pushing scientists even closer to creating "universal donor blood" than they have ever been before.

The way this breakthrough could be possible is thanks to a bacteria enzyme that's found in almost everyone's guts. It's an enzyme that removes antigens from red blood cells, which is something that works towards determining a person's blood type.

Currently, the hope is that if scientists can strip away what determines a person's blood type, then they could produce a universal blood that's able to be used more widely than traditional blood types. This is especially important as places around the United States and the world deal with certain shortages of blood types. For a lot of important treatments, transfusions are necessary.

The new enzyme was discovered by a team of researchers at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and Lund University in Sweden. While conducting the experiment, researchers used the enzyme to remove the A and B antigens from red blood cells. It's the first time humans have ever created something that can not only remove A and B antigens but also extend a few others.

Scientists explained how blood groups are typically divided based on the antigens found. The main four groups of antigens were first discovered roughly 120 years ago. Now, there are currently 45 recognized blood group systems, which roughly has 362 red blood cell antigens in the mix. All of these are then determined by 50 different genes.

The main bacteria that is responsible for the enzyme is called "Akkermansia Muciniphila." It's found in most healthy human gut linings, which in turn makes it widely available for research. It was tested 24 times on different blood samples, while it was most efficient at removing the A and B blood antigens, it was overall more effective against B.