Around the Labour Day weekend, there tends to be an urgent need for blood donations in Surrey and across Canada. The Canadian Blood Services reports more than 22,000 donors are needed nationwide by August 26 to ensure that the inventory is sufficiently filled to meet the needs of patients for the remainder of the summer. In particular, donors with O-negative blood are in particularly high demand, given that it’s the only blood type compatible with all other blood types.
In the meantime, researchers at UBC may have found a way to turn Type A and Type B blood into Type O blood. As Type O blood is often used up faster (it’s used in emergency situations, where there’s no time to check for blood type) this could be a significant scientific breakthrough.
Although this remains a work in progress, the beginning research is good news for people who are in need of a blood donations.
Listen to our Pulse Mornings interview with David Patterson of Canadian Blood Services.
References: Canadian researchers turn Type A and B blood into Type O
Urgent need for blood donors before Labour Day