Why people may be rejecting transplants.

[Dave]

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120223183819.htm

This is a very interesting article, I thought. Seem that we all know about the blood types A, B, and O and we may also know about the Rhesus type (positive/negative) that together gives us the A+, A-, B+, etc. This has been used for years to match donors with transplant recipients, but there's still a chance that the body would reject the transplant. Scientists now may have found out why.

Seems they've discovered an additional TWO typing structures for blood - Junior and Langereis. I don't know what designates they'll use when typing, but it would mean instead of being blood type B+ (which I am), I'd be type BJL+ (for example) and a better way to match the donor with the recipient.

I don't know how interesting you'll all find this to be but I, for one, think this is a huge leap forward for medicine. It'll play hell on the blood banks for a while and supplies will be low at first as we determine which subtypes are more rare than others, but it's going to be a Godsend for some who are on the donor waiting list.

 

[Adam]

Science +1, Faith Healing 0.

 

[drifter]

What has me gobsmacked is that there are also 28 other blood type systems I had never heard about. And the Rh system has 50 different antigens? TIL.

 

[Dave]

It's kind of amazing how much in infancy the typing/categorizing of blood is. My mind is boggled.

 

[fade]

What has me gobsmacked is that there are also 28 other blood type systems I had never heard about. And the Rh system has 50 different antigens? TIL.

I was going to say.. Mathias can probably say it better, but I remember from Physical Anthropology that there are many different typing axes, ABO and Rh are just the most commonly used. They refer to protein structures on the surface of the cells or something. At least A and B do, and O is a complete lack of either.

 

[Dave]

Yup, those proteins are the crux of the matter. They are finally being able to identify the different effects of two of them and will help for more close alignment with typing.