New Kidneys For Old?

A kidney from a donor with blood type 'A', will be rejected by patients with type 'B' blood and vice versa. Kidneys from universal type 'O' donors, however, can be transplanted to recipients, of any blood group. A Cambridge University team have now found a way of changing the donor kidney's blood group ((https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/aug/15/researchers-change-blood-type-of-kidney-in-transplant-breakthrough). In the UK, it has often been difficult for minority ethnic groups to find a kidney transplant match. The Cambridge group found that flushing donor kidneys with enzyme-infused blood via a normothermic perfusion machine, removed the blood type markers lining the organ's blood vessels. This procedure effectively converts the donor organ to type 'O'. The kidney can now be transplanted into a match with any blood group! This is real progress for transplantation technology.