A latest research by National Institutes of Health's Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland (US) might have found a way to convert type A blood into universal donors.
Until now, type A blood donors could only donate to people with type A or AB. Only people with type O blood were universal donors. But this new breakthrough could help more people become universal donors.
Blood is usually defined by sugar molecules on a person’s red blood cells. These molecules are known as antigens. When these antigens receive an incompatible blood, they attack it thinking of it as a foreign toxin. The blood ultimately kills itself to fight the incompatible blood.
Only type O blood lacks these antigens which makes it a universal donor. But scientists might able to change it.
Researchers have been studying bacteria in the human gut. They have discovered that these microbes produced two enzymes capable of converting type A blood into a more universally accepted type.
This new research might help in meeting the demands of blood by people across the world. According to World Health Organization, 42 per cent of the world’s blood donations are done in high income countries.
This means that countries like India face a scarcity of blood requirement for the patients. India requires approximately 12 million units of blood each year. But due to lack of healthcare facilities, people hardly get the blood they require, especially in villages.
This research can prove to be a major step in the history of science. However, it still requires a lot of research and experimentation.If this theory comes into practice, it could save millions of lives each year.
When the doctors are not able to find out a patient’s blood type, or if there is a shortage of the type they need, this research can prove to life-saving for the patients who require blood worldwide.
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