Then it’s the protein mix that determines if you have a negative or positive blood type (the Rh system). It’s the mix of sugar antigens which determines if you have A, B, O blood (the ABO system). These antigens are a mix of different sugars and proteins. Red blood cells are made of a membrane with antigens (hundreds of thousands, millions of them) attached. Red blood cells determine our blood type. Blood is made up of red and white blood cells, platelets, and plasma. and R.Johnson Ltd., English, 1970-1981.īefore we get into the significance of “golden blood”, it is important to understand how the most common blood groups are determined. Copy of blood-grouping tile, porcelain, made by H. While it may not grant immortal god-like powers, it has significant life-saving qualities that are extraordinary in their own right.

Called golden because of its rarity and huge scientific significance – rather than its colour – it is the rarest known human blood type.

Then in 1961, a person with “golden blood” was discovered. Called Ichor, this ethereal fluid was fabled to have immortal properties, but was toxic to mere mortals. In Ancient Greece, it was thought the gods had golden blood. Blood transfusion apparatus in mahogany case, by Savigny and Co., London 19th century. Wang.Assistant Curator Katie McNab looks into 'golden blood' and a Bristol clinic brokering rare blood deals. 'By exchanging ideas across disciplines and across the country, we became one collaborative effort to tackle an important problem in organ transplantation,' says Dr. This study was successful because of important interdisciplinary efforts across multiple organizations in Canada, including UHN, University of Toronto, University of British Columbia (UBC) and University of Alberta. The results demonstrated that the treated lungs were well tolerated while the untreated ones showed signs of rejection. The team then tested each of the lungs by adding type O blood (with high concentrations of anti-A antibodies) to the circuit, to simulate an ABO-incompatible transplant. One lung was treated with a group of enzymes to clear the antigens from the surface of the organ, while the other lung, from the same donor, remained untreated. Human donor lungs not suitable for transplantation from type A donors were put in the EVLP circuit. This group of enzymes that we found in the human gut can cut sugars from the A and B antigens on red blood cells, converting them into universal type O cells Stephen Withers Consequently, donor organs are matched to potential recipients in the waitlist based on blood type, among other criteria. If someone who is type O (meaning they have anti-A and anti-B antibodies in their bloodstream) received an organ from a type A donor, for example, the organ in all likelihood would be rejected. Likewise, antigens A and B are present on the surfaces of blood vessels in the body, including vessels in solid organs. That is why for blood transfusions we can only receive blood from donors with the same blood type as ours, or universal type O. Antigens can trigger an immune response if they are foreign to our bodies. Cypel, who is also a thoracic surgeon at UHN's Sprott Department of Surgery, a Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto and the Canada Research Chair in Lung Transplantation.īlood type is determined by the presence of antigens on the surface of red blood cells - type A blood has the A antigen B has the B antigen AB blood has both antigens and O has none. 'Having universal organs means we could eliminate the blood-matching barrier and prioritize patients by medical urgency, saving more lives and wasting less organs,' adds Dr. Marcelo Cypel, Surgical Director of the Ajmera Transplant Centre and the senior author of the study. 'With the current matching system, wait times can be considerably longer for patients who need a transplant depending on their blood type,' explains Dr.

Universal blood typ