The ABO blood group system classifies blood into four groups: A, B, AB and O. These groups are defined by specific sugar molecules, known as blood antigens, that are expressed on red blood cells and other tissues throughout the body.

Type O blood, known as the universal donor type, can be given to any recipient without causing an immune reaction, making it critically important in emergency situations. Similarly, for organ transplantation, type O donor organs can be matched with recipients of any blood type. However, type O blood and organs are often in short supply, leading to blood shortages and long waitlists for organ transplant recipients.

Recent advancements have shown promise in converting A, B and AB blood types into O type using bacterial enzymes. Local start-up company Avivo Biomedical Inc. has developed an enzymatic system that effectively converts blood from type A to type O and has demonstrated its efficiency in blood, lungs and kidneys. Despite this success, converting B to O blood type has remained challenging due to the low efficiency of previously published enzymes.

Combining advanced bioinformatics tools, knowledge of bacterial microbiomes and expertise in enzymology, Avivo has identified and optimized new enzymes with improved activity against B blood antigens. They improved the specificity, efficiency and production levels of the identified candidates using genetic engineering techniques. They illustrated B-to-O conversion in B-type whole blood and kidney tissue and, in combination with an A-to-O converting system, in AB-type whole blood and kidney tissue.

Through this work, they achieved their goal of creating a product capable of converting any blood type into universal O. This innovation has the potential to revolutionize blood transfusion and organ transplantation by eliminating blood-type barriers, thereby saving countless lives.