ok almost to the fun believe it or don't part..but we need to understand that the blood types mean something and that they can be manipulated
you may be getting a bacteria conversion of type if the hospital uses this stuff..is it important to know what you are getting?.....who decides?..knowledge is powerhttp://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2008/03/24/conversion_makes_all_blood_type_o/?page=fullConversion makes all blood type ONew technique could stretch blood bank inventories by removing A and B molecules
By Jennifer Cutraro
Globe Correspondent / March 24, 2008
Savvy shopkeepers know to put the oldest milk cartons at the front of the grocery-store shelf. In a similar way, blood banks around the country make the most efficient use of their blood supply by using their oldest units of blood first in transfusions.
But a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests cardiac patients receiving blood that is more than two weeks old suffer greater risks of complications such as kidney failure. While the study does not recommend changing current practices, it underscores a persistent challenge that blood banks face: how to increase blood turnover and avoid wasting unused and less-common blood types.
One local biotech company might have at least a partial solution to the problem: ZymeQuest Inc., in Beverly, has developed a technology that converts all blood types to O, the universal donor.
The technology could remove some of the logistical and inventory challenges confronting blood-banking services around the country, said Christopher Stowell, director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Blood Transfusion Service, who has no connection to the company.
"The margin between donation and need is pretty thin, so conversion would certainly be a convenience," said Stowell, also an assistant professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School. "O is the blood type we use in emergency situations when we don't have time to check a patients' blood type. The O units are, for that reason, always in tight supply."
Simple sugar molecules on the surface of red blood cells determine a person's blood type. One type of sugar molecule indicates type A blood, another indicates type B blood, and individuals with both sugars on their blood cells have the blood type AB. Individuals who lack all of these sugars - roughly 40 percent of the population - have blood type O.
The body's immune system recognizes its own sugar molecules, but sees sugars of another type as foreign invaders. That's why a person with type A blood can't receive a transfusion from someone with type B blood: The type A immune system would attack the new blood as foreign, making the person gravely ill.
Because type O blood carries neither of these sugars, it sails undetected right past the immune systems of type A, B, and AB individuals. For this reason, patients with any blood type can receive type O blood.
The ZymeQuest system uses enzymes isolated from bacteria to strip those A and B sugars off the surface of red blood cells, said Henrik Clausen, a scientific consultant to the company and professor of molecular medicine at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. Then the red blood cells are washed with a saline solution to remove the enzymes and chopped-off sugars using a cell-washing device designed and built by ZymeQuest. The device can simultaneously process 8 units of blood, of 500 milliliters each.
"It's a fairly simple process," Clausen said. "The key obstacle is to find enzymes with the right specificity so that they take off only the one sugar and leave other molecules on the cell surface intact."
The hunt for blood-converting enzymes goes back more than 25 years, when a researcher at the New York Blood Center discovered he could cleave the B-type sugar off red blood cells using an enzyme he isolated from unroasted green coffee beans, then safely transfuse these cells into people, Clausen said.
ZymeQuest obtained the intellectual property behind this technology, but because these coffee-based enzymes do not very efficiently convert blood, Clausen began searching eight years ago for other enzymes that would work better at room temperature and a neutral pH.
"We didn't know if enzymes with these properties even existed in nature," he said. So he and his colleagues scanned 2,500 bacterial and fungal sources for enzymes that might do the job. They found a few contenders with specific abilities to recognize and snip apart the connection holding A and B sugars to the surface of red blood cells, and are now incorporating these enzymes into their blood conversion system.
ZymeQuest is in the early stages of phase 2 clinical trials with both type A and type B conversion systems, said chief financial officer Tom Fitzgerald. He expects their technology to be in the trial and testing phase for at least three to four more years. It's not yet clear, he said, how much the final process will cost per pint of blood.
Dr. Richard Benjamin, chief medical officer at the American Red Cross national headquarters in Washington, said he's been following ZymeQuest's progress for about five years.
"The technology has obstacles that the company has to deal with. It's not as simple as we originally thought it might be," Benjamin said. "Whether the system in development is going to be practical and cost effective, only time will tell."
And even if the technology is perfected, he said, there's not a lot of extra type O blood in the blood supply waiting to be transformed. Only about 3 percent of all donated blood is wasted nationwide, according to the 2005 Nationwide Blood Collection and Utilization Survey Report.
Steve Sloan, director of pediatric transfusion medicine at Children's Hospital Boston, said he remains cautious about blood conversion.
"The fact is, when you modify cells, it can cause risks and changes that you don't expect," he said, pointing out that any such risks would likely become clear in clinical trials.
"It's a good technology in that it can increase our inventory of type O red cells," said Sloan, who has done work for ZymeQuest in the past. "But how expensive is that? And for the same cost, could we just recruit more blood donors to increase our supply of type O blood?"
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http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/scientists-convert-blood-for-universal-use/Scientists convert blood for universal use
Originally published April 2, 2007 at 12:00 am | Updated April 2, 2007 at 2:00 am
Danish researchers have perfected an inexpensive and efficient way to convert types A, B and AB blood into type O, the universal-donor blood...
By Thomas H. Maugh II
Danish researchers have perfected an inexpensive and efficient way to convert types A, B and AB blood into type O, the universal-donor blood that can be given to anyone — an achievement that promises to make transfusions safer and relieve shortages of type O blood.
The team reported Sunday in the journal Nature Biotechnology that they isolated bacterial enzymes that safely remove from red blood cells the sugar molecules that provoke an immune reaction in the recipient.
Previous studies of type O blood produced from type B by a different method have shown it to be both safe and effective, and the researchers are now conducting clinical trials with the new product.
Mismatching of blood causes at least half of all transfusion-related deaths. And the need for precisely matched blood drives the costly and inefficient process of shuttling units of blood between regional blood banks and hospitals to match daily requirements.
“Those issues could be largely resolved if there were a universally transfusible blood supply,” said Doug Clibourn, chief executive of ZymeQuest in Beverly, Mass., which is developing the technology.
The problem involves sugar molecules on the surface of red blood cells. Type A blood has one set of sugars and type B has another, while type O has none. People with type A blood have antibodies against the type B sugars, people with type B have antibodies against type A, and people with type O have antibodies against both.
If a person receives mismatched blood, the antibodies attack red blood cells, producing a potentially fatal breakdown of red cells.
In the 1980s, the late Jack Goldstein of the New York Blood Center isolated an enzyme from coffee beans that could convert type B to type O. Clinical trials of the enzyme-produced blood showed it behaved no differently from normal blood in hospitalized patients.
But the enzymes involved were expensive and had to be used under highly acidic conditions that damaged the red cells. Goldstein’s team also was not able to find an enzyme that would convert type A to type O.
a consequence, the development was halted.
ZymeQuest commissioned cellular biologist Henrik Clausen of the University of Copenhagen to search for new enzymes to carry out the conversion. Clausen and his team sifted through more than 2,500 bacteria and fungi before identifying the two candidates cited in the Nature Biotechnology report.
The discovery could be a major breakthrough in improving the blood supply, wrote Geoff Daniels of England’s Bristol Institute for Transfusion Sciences in an editorial accompanying the article.
The new enzymes are more potent than previously used ones and, more important, they work at room temperature and neutral pH, which is very good for blood cells, said Dr. Martin Olsson of Lund University in Sweden. In an hour, they remove all the sugar molecules from the surface of red blood cells, after which they can be easily washed away.
The team initially isolated blood from healthy individuals, converted the red cells to type O and injected them back into the donors, said Olsson, who is overseeing the clinical trials.
After that study showed no problems, they began a larger clinical trial using donor blood. Olsson refused to comment on the results but confirmed there have been no adverse reactions to the product.
Clibourn said he expects results from the trial to be available later this year.
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http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chiron-and-zymequestr-form-partnership-for-enzyme-conversion-of-red-blood-cells-58687847.htmlChiron and ZymeQuest(R) form Partnership for Enzyme Conversion Of Red Blood Cells
- System would convert non-O red blood cells to universal-donor
red blood cells -
- Agreement expands Chiron's position in blood safety -
EMERYVILLE, Calif. and BEVERLY, Mass., Jan. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Chiron Corporation (Nasdaq: CHIR) and ZymeQuest(R) Inc. announced today that
they have formed a partnership to develop and commercialize ZymeQuest's
enzymatic conversion system, which converts groups A, B and AB red blood cells
to enzyme-converted group O (ECO(R)) red blood cells. Under the terms of the
agreement, Chiron will share in the costs of developing and commercializing
the enzymatic conversion system. In addition, Chiron will make an equity
investment in ZymeQuest and obtain worldwide marketing and commercial rights
for the technology. ZymeQuest will continue to be responsible for developing
and manufacturing its enzyme conversion products. Financial terms of the
agreement were not disclosed.
"This agreement represents a major advance for Chiron in the realm of
blood safety," said Jack Goldstein, president, Chiron Blood Testing.
"ZymeQuest's innovative technology will fill a critical need for blood and
transfusion centers. All group A, B, and AB red cells will be able to be
converted to ECO, which, along with Group O, can be transfused to all
individuals without transfusion reaction. This technology will decrease the
potential difficulties associated with mismatched blood and also reduce
inventory problems at blood banks caused by shortages of group O red cells.
In addition, the technology could reduce the amount of donor blood discarded
because of outdating. This partnership is another example of Chiron's
commitment to looking for new ways to meet the needs of our customers and
helping improve blood safety worldwide."
"This alliance with Chiron is an important milestone for ZymeQuest," said
Douglas L. Clibourn, president and chief executive officer of ZymeQuest. "By
assuring and maintaining a safe and adequate blood supply in a cost effective
manner, the delivery of an all group O and ECO inventory of red blood cells
could have a significant logistical and financial impact on the worldwide
blood delivery system. Having the participation of a company with the
international stature of Chiron as a partner and as an equity investor will
help us reach our commercialization goals and our mission of transforming
transfusion medicine."
About Universal Red Blood Cells
Group O red cells are known as universal red blood cells because they can
be transfused safely to recipients of any ABO blood group without the risk of
morbidity or mortality associated with a transfusion of incompatible red
cells. Preliminary clinical trial results indicate that ECO red cells will
function like group O universal red cells. A universally transfusable
inventory of red blood cells could decrease the cost and complexity of
inventory management, reduce the number of red cells lost due to outdating,
and improve the safety of red cell transfusions.
About Chiron Blood Testing
Chiron Blood Testing is dedicated to preventing the spread of infectious
diseases through the development of novel blood-screening tools that protect
the world's blood supply. Chiron's Procleix(R) assays and systems, developed
in collaboration with Gen-Probe Incorporated, utilize state-of-the-art nucleic
acid testing (NAT) technology to detect RNA and DNA in donated blood, plasma,
organs and tissue during the very early stages of infection, when infectious
agents are present but cannot be detected by immunodiagnostic screening
technologies. Through its joint business with Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics,
Chiron also develops and markets a line of immunoassay screening, diagnostic,
and supplemental hepatitis and retrovirus tests. For more information about
Chiron Blood Testing visit
www.eBloodBank.com.
About ZymeQuest, Inc.
ZymeQuest, Inc., located in Beverly, Massachusetts, is a privately owned
company pioneering the discovery, development and commercialization of
enzymatic blood conversion products for use in transfusion medicine.
ZymeQuest's technology is based on the use of proprietary enzymes and state-
of-the-art processes to convert human red blood cells from blood groups A, B,
and AB to enzyme converted group O (ECO) cells. For more information about
ZymeQuest, visit the company's website at
www.zymequest.com.
This news release contains forward-looking statements, including
statements regarding sales growth, product development initiatives and new
product marketing that involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to
change. A full discussion of Chiron's operations and financial condition,
including factors that may affect its business and future prospects, is
contained in documents the company has filed with the SEC, including the form
10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2003, and the form 10-K for year
ended December 31, 2002, and will be contained in all subsequent periodic
filings made with the SEC. These documents identify important factors that
could cause the company's actual performance to differ from current
expectations, including the outcomes of clinical trials, regulatory review and
approvals, manufacturing capabilities, intellectual property protections and
defenses, stock-price and interest-rate volatility, and marketing
effectiveness. In particular, there can be no assurance that Chiron will
increase sales of existing products, successfully develop and receive approval
to market new products, or achieve market acceptance for such new products.
There can be no assurance that Chiron's out-licensing activity will generate
significant revenue, nor that its in-licensing activities will fully protect
it from claims of infringement by third parties.
Consistent with SEC Regulation FD, we do not undertake an obligation to
update the forward-looking information we are giving today.
Note: Procleix is a trademark of Chiron Corporation. ZymeQuest and ECO
are trademarks of ZymeQuest, Inc.
SOURCE Chiron Corporation
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14980547Abstract
Transfus Clin Biol. 2004 Feb;11(1):33-9.
Universal red blood cells--enzymatic conversion of blood group A and B antigens.
Olsson ML1, Hill CA, de la Vega H, Liu QP, Stroud MR, Valdinocci J, Moon S, Clausen H, Kruskall MS.
Author information
Abstract
Accidental transfusion of ABO-incompatible red blood cells (RBCs) is a leading cause of fatal transfusion reactions. To prevent this and to create a universal blood supply, the idea of converting blood group A and B antigens to H using specific exo-glycosidases capable of removing the immunodominant sugar residues was pioneered by Goldstein and colleagues at the New York Blood Center in the early 1980s. Conversion of group B RBCs to O was initially carried out with alpha-galactosidase extracted from coffee beans. These enzyme-converted O (ECO) RBCs appeared to survive normally in all recipients independent of blood group. The clinical trials moved from small infusions to single RBC units and finally multiple and repeated transfusions. A successful phase II trial utilizing recombinant enzyme was reported by Kruskall and colleagues in 2000. Enzymatic conversion of group A RBCs has lagged behind due to lack of appropriate glycosidases and the more complex nature of A antigens. Identification of novel bacterial glycosidases with improved kinetic properties and specificities for the A and B antigens has greatly advanced the field. Conversion of group A RBCs can be achieved with improved glycosidases and the conversion conditions for both A and B antigens optimized to use more cost-efficient quantities of enzymes and gentler conditions including neutral pH and short incubation times at room temperature. Of the different strategies envisioned to create a universal blood supply, the ECO concept is the only one, for which human clinical trials have been performed. This paper discusses some biochemical and clinical aspects of this developing technology.
PMID: 14980547 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
./.......................
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11508-enzymes-convert-all-donor-blood-to-group-o.htmlEnzymes convert all donor blood to group O
18:00 01 April 2007 by Peter Aldhous
http://www.nature.com/news/2007/070326/full/news070326-17.htmlBlood made suitable for all
Published online 1 April 2007
Alison Abbott
as you can see it's not real new..and seems to already be a cash cow