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Generally speaking, blood groups are determined by the presence of A and B antigens on red blood cells. Group O types don't have either of these antigens.
Researchers from the Technical University of Denmark and Lund University in Sweden, who've been investigating a solution, discovered that specific enzymes produced by common gut bacteria were able to remove both A and B antigens, potentially paving the way to ensure a steady supply of universal donor blood.
"What is special about the mucosa is that bacteria, which are able to live on this material, often have tailor-made enzymes to break down mucosal sugar structures, which include blood group ABO antigens," Abou Hachem explained. "This hypothesis turned out to be correct.
However, it's still far too early to tell if the new process could actually revolutionize blood transfusions. The team is now hoping to test their new process in clinical trials, but even if proven successful — which is far from being a guarantee — any commercial production is still likely many years out.
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