Overview
- UBC-led teams in Canada and China used lab-made enzymes to remove type A sugar antigens from a donor kidney, creating a functionally type O organ.
- The converted kidney was transplanted into a brain-dead recipient with family consent and produced urine without hyperacute rejection for about two days.
- On the third day, some A antigens reappeared and triggered a mild immune response, with less damage than a standard mismatch and early signs of accommodation.
- The results, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, provide the first direct human-model data on immune responses to an enzyme-converted organ.
- Researchers say the technique could widen access for patients—especially type O candidates—while they work on antigen re-expression, long-term durability, regulatory approvals, and clinical development with partners such as Avivo Biomedical.