Researchers use gut bacteria to turn type A or B blood into universal donors

Bacteria found in the human gut could save countless lives by transforming type A or type B blood into type O. At a meeting of the American Chemical Society today, Steve Withers of the University of British Colombia presented new research suggesting enzymes found in gut bacteria could effectively strip antigens from the two most common blood types. If successful, the discovery would essentially make most types of blood accessible to those who need it, regardless of their blood type. For a blood transfusion to work, a lot of things have to go right. It’s an intricate patchwork that requires…

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