Internal wounds could be closed by a robot with an integrated 3D-printer. Sometimes, however, a blood transfusion is required.
Here, blood type and Rh factor must be identical for donor and patient, although type 0 can generally be used for types A, B and AB. Need is unpredictable, and donated blood can only be stored for 42 days.
Now, thanks to a Danish research team, donor blood could soon be in greater supply. The team experimented with enzymes of a special gut bacteria.
These break down intestinal mucus which is structured like blood-type defining sugar molecules in blood cells. Removing these molecules with the enzymes makes universal donor blood an elevating prospect.
The process is patent-pending; further testing is underway.
