Monday 15 August 2022 12:13 AM 'Game-changing' breakthrough for organ transplants as scientists alter blood ... trends now

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Scientists have altered the blood type of donor kidneys in a ‘game-changing’ discovery that could boost the organ transplant supply.

Kidneys from patients with an A blood type cannot currently be transplanted to those with a B blood type, nor the other way around. This means many patients are left waiting for a match.

The problem is especially acute for ethnic minority groups, who are more likely to have B-type blood.

Donation rates from these populations are low, so there are not enough kidneys to go round.

But scientists have worked out how to convert kidneys to the universal O blood type, which will allow more transplants to take place.

Researchers used a normothermic perfusion machine, which normally passes oxygenated blood through a donor kidney to preserve it.