The idea has been around for awhile without much success, but using a new pair of enzymes, discovered in the human gut microbiome in 2019, seems to improve on past attempts.

Denuding the lungs essentially creates an “ABO-agnostic organ” that could, theoretically for now, nestle into the chest of a person with any ABO blood type and not induce rejection. The blood type is a single-gene trait.Ĭanadian researchers have tested a way to strip donor lungs from type A individuals of the A antigens that make them type A, using enzymes. The A and B antigens (cell surface molecules) are sugars that are attached to proteins and fats on a cell’s surface. It doesn’t have to match between donor and recipient, but it must be compatible. Position on the wait list is based on several factors: medical urgency, compatibility with an available lung, distance from the donor hospital, and pediatric status, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing.Īn easily tested indication of whether a person’s body will accept a transplanted organ is the ABO blood type. In the US, 1400 adults and children await lungs at any given time.

Wait times for a lung vary from days to years, depending on a complex set of circumstances. Lung transplants can be lifesaving for patients with end-stage lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis, COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis, and pulmonary hypertension.

Universal donor blood type