Ability to convert all blood to type O!

[Lets Gekiga In]

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn11508&feedId=online-news_rss20

This looks really awesome. It could mean the end of blood shortage forever!

[Viper]

Scientific April Fools Joke?

[Kiwi]

I'm not sure, I think I saw something about this a couple of years ago.

[koten]

Deffinatly would be great in the medical feilds.

What they would have to work on next is figuring out how to convert O+ to O- so it really can be given to anyone and everyone.

[Lets Gekiga In]

Scientific April Fools Joke?

I don't think it is.

[Kiwi]

As far as I can remember, I saw something about two companies teaming up to help with this back in 2004.

Edit: Found. Two companies called Chiron and ZymeQuest formed a partnership to "develop and commercialise ZymeQuest's enzymatic conversion system, which converts groups A, B, and AB red blood cells to enzyme-converted group O blood cells."

So it looks like it's true, which is great news.

[KamiKaZe]

It's the second... people need to stop with the April fools jokes already. It's only one day, not the whole month.

[Kiwi]

It's the second... people need to stop with the April fools jokes already. It's only one day, not the whole month.

It isn't. Did you not read what I posted?

Anyway, here's the website of one of the companies involved:

http://www.zymequest.com/

[Phoenix]

Deffinatly would be great in the medical feilds.

What they would have to work on next is figuring out how to convert O+ to O- so it really can be given to anyone and everyone.Turning positive to negative should be a similar process to turning A/B/AB to O, so if this isn't a joke I'm sure that's not that far off.

[VG Aficionado]

If it's true, that's the best news I've read in a long time.

How's the pig-to-human organ transplanting research progressing? I wonder if pig blood could be used for humans as well.

[Khaos]

Now we wait for people receiving this blood to get strange illnesses.....

[Phoenix]

Uh oh... it's AIDS MkII... head for the hills!

[Ratu]

I have AB- and I want to keep it that way

[koten]

Getting blood from someone else will not change your bloodtype. You will still have the antigens you always had.

A blood and B blood each have a unique antigen, while O has none. You're body can only handle the antigen that is naturally there, so a person with A blood can recieve A or O because A blood has the antigen they naturally have and O lacks any antigen that would be harmful. The same goes for B.A person with O, since they have no antigens, can only recieve from O.

I don't remember what exactly causes + or -. I'm sure it's another antigen in there. That means that someone who is negative (has no antigens) cannot recieve from someone who is posative (who has antigens), but posative can recieve from negative.

Now, if they can isolate something that would eat the + antigen then we would have O- blood in reserves, which is absolutly perfect, because anyone and everyone can recieve blood from O- because it has no antigens.

[TheGreenElf]

I am basically screwed if I ever need blood, (As I was giving blood, the man said..."Just don't get hurt or you might have some problems..."...Nice, I know) as I have the rarest type.

[Negativity]

I've got O-.

[VG Aficionado]

*approaches Abacus from behind with a needle and a cooled recipient*

[Garfunkel]

Don't give him GRID VG!

[VG Aficionado]

Don't give him GRID VG!:susp:

[Khaos]

I am basically screwed if I ever need blood, (As I was giving blood, the man said..."Just don't get hurt or you might have some problems..."...Nice, I know) as I have the rarest type.

There are many more blood types than just the AB0 (approx. 250 known antigens present on the red blood cells, not including the rhesus types) . It also depends on race (AB rarest in white Caucasians). There is an A variant, called A2. The combo of A2 with B is, at least in Caucasians, the A2B blood type is very rare (0.5%).
There are other blood types equally rare in Caucasians, which include various combinations of the Kell blood type, as well as Wra, Dia, Cob, Ytb, Sc2, Cw, V, VS, Mg, Vw, Vr, Hov, MT, and many many more....
Now the good news to keep your message simple:
If you want the rarest ABO blood type, you can choose the "Bombay" variant (or blood type 0h), which is the blood type for people who miss the entire ABO and hence incompatible recipients of any ABO blood donors. Combine that one with rhesus neg, and you've got your exotic type!

Wow, didn't know that... Haha, are you Caucasian GreenElf?

"Whats your blood type?"
"Oh, Sc2"

[koten]

Well that's just stupid.

[Khaos]

What? That more than 6 blood antigens exist?

[koten]

Yes.

We should kill anyone who has is outside of ABO

[Negativity]

Or watch HBO.

[Phoenix]

I must be a pessimist because my blood is B negative.

[Khaos]

Haha, do you guys know how Asians can tell your blood type by your personality?

Like I am apparently B (I am not). But they say I act like a B person.

[Garfunkel]

yeah, i heard homosexuals were B people.

[Khaos]

Y-you big meanie! :'(

[Garfunkel]

well, homosexual + GRID = B.