A discovery by University of Saskatchewan scientists could help the shortage of blood and organ donations in the province.

In 2019, Dr. Stephen Withers had found enzymes that could convert blood cells from Type A to Type O, the universal donor.

Withers and his colleagues from British Columbia worked with the Canadian Light Source research facility on the Saskatchewan university campus to further understand how certain enzymes could cause this change.

He figured out that changing the chemical structure of the sugar antigens on the surface of the blood cell.

It was found that the same sugar antigens are present on the surface of human organs such as lungs and kidneys.

This means that organs, as well as blood, will be able to be converted to be universally accepted through enzyme therapy.

Withers anticipates that this technology would eliminate the blood and organ-matching barrier, allowing for a larger supply for those in need.