After a decade of work, scientists are approaching a major milestone in the field of organ transplantation: the possibility of transplanting a kidney from a donor with a different blood type than the recipient.. This could reduce the wait time for a transplant, Science Alert reports..

Researchers from different institutions in Canada and China have created a “universal” kidney that, in theory, is suitable for any patient.

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The test sample “survived” and functioned in the body of a brain-dead patient whose relatives consented to the experiment.

“This is the first time we’ve seen something like this in a human model.”. This gives us invaluable information about how to improve long-term outcomes,” said biochemist Stephen Withers of the University of British Columbia in Canada..

At the moment, people with the first blood group are waiting until a kidney from a donor with the first type becomes available. These people make up half the waiting list.. Since organs from donors with the first blood group are suitable for recipients with any blood group, there is a shortage of such organs.

A kidney transplant from a donor with a different blood type is already possible. To do this, the recipient’s body is “taught” not to reject the organ.. But this process is far from ideal and practical.. It is time consuming, expensive and risky. In addition, it involves the participation of a living donor, since the recipient requires time to prepare.

In a new study, scientists were able to turn a kidney with a second blood group into a first.. To do this, they used special, previously identified enzymes that remove sugar molecules (antigens) that act as markers of blood group II.

“It’s like peeling the red paint off a car and exposing the neutral ground.”. Once this is done, the immune system no longer perceives the organ as foreign,"

The transplanted kidney began to show signs of blood type II again on the third day, which triggered an immune response. But this answer was less pronounced than usual. In addition, there were signs that the body was trying to adapt to the kidney.

Currently, 11 people a day die on the waiting list for a kidney transplant in the United States alone.. Most of them are with blood group I.

Let us remind you that recently another experimental xenotransplantation was performed in the USA - 54-year-old New Hampshire resident Bill Stewart received a pig kidney.