Scientists at University of Cambridge have managed to change the blood group of a kidney, something that could change the field of organ transplants and donations in an astronomical way.
Kidneys can only be transplanted to people with the same blood group as the donor. For example, someone with B blood type can only donate an organ to someone with a B blood group, not to someone with AB blood type. The only exception is O- which is a universal donor, meaning it can be accepted by any blood group.
For years, ethnic minority groups have faced severe difficulty in finding kidney donors that match their specific blood groups. There is a large disparity within black and minority ethnic groups between the number of donors and the amount of people who are in need of a kidney donation. Only 9% of minority communities are donors, whereas 33% of the waiting list for kidney donations consists of these very communities.
This problem may be finally solved due to researchers changing the blood group of a donor kidney from blood group B to blood group O. This was done using enzymes which altered the blood at a molecular level, removing the blood markers of the B group, changing it an O group kidney.
As expected more scientific research has to be done to ensure this is a safe and successful idea, but it is a huge step forward for inclusion within this industry and for science itself.