After a decade of work, researchers are closer than ever to a key breakthrough in kidney transplants: being able to transfer kidneys from donors with different blood types than the recipients, which could significantly speed up waiting times and save lives.
In research published last year, a team from institutions across Canada and China reported creating a 'universal' kidney that, in theory, can be accepted by any patient.
Their test organ survived and functioned for several days in the body of a brain-dead recipient, whose family consented to the research.
As it stands today, people with type O blood who need a kidney usually have to wait for a type O kidney to become available from a donor. That accounts for more than half the people on waitlists, but because type O kidneys can function in people with other blood types, they're in short supply.
While it is currently possible to transplant kidneys of different blood types, by training the recipient's body not to reject the organ, the existing process is far from perfect and not particularly practical.
In research published last year, a team from institutions across Canada and China reported creating a 'universal' kidney that, in theory, can be accepted by any patient.
Their test organ survived and functioned for several days in the body of a brain-dead recipient, whose family consented to the research.
As it stands today, people with type O blood who need a kidney usually have to wait for a type O kidney to become available from a donor. That accounts for more than half the people on waitlists, but because type O kidneys can function in people with other blood types, they're in short supply.
While it is currently possible to transplant kidneys of different blood types, by training the recipient's body not to reject the organ, the existing process is far from perfect and not particularly practical.
