Grant: Collaborative Health Research Projects (NSERC partnered)

Waitlists for organ transplants are often extremely lengthy due to the need to identify available donor organs that are a good "match" to the patient requiring the transplant. This process of "matching" involves identifying organs that have similar external "markers" known as antigens, to those on the patients own tissues. Amongst the antigens that have to be matched are those that distinguish A, B and O type blood from each other. The relevant antigens on red blood cells are in fact very simple sugar molecules. A,B and O red blood cells all share a common substructure of sugars, but A and B red blood cells differ in each having one extra sugar attached. The applicants have recently developed a way of removing that additional sugar with enzymes so that they can convert A or B red blood cells to O type red blood cells. They are currently testing the safety of the Universal" O type blood so developed. In this proposal the ability of these same enzymes to remove these antigens from the surface of donated human organs will be tested and the safety and use of the modified organs will be thoroughly tested. If successful this would allow the organs from A and B blood type individuals to be converted into O type organs. This would improve the odds of transplant patients obtaining matching organs, which would increase survival patient rates.