Toward a universal blood cell anyone can receive

This research is early, and it’s just in rodents, but at a time when Covid-19 is canceling blood drives, a new study takes on added interest. Scientists have built a hydrogel “sheath” that when bolted to the surface of red blood cells can hide an antigen from the body’s immune system. The researchers cloaked RhD-negative blood cells, a rare variant that can be life-threatening to people given RhD-positive blood. The camouflaged RhD-positive cells transfused into RhD-negative mice did not cause reactions, nor did human RhD-positive blood cells affect RhD-negative rabbits. If it works in people — a big leap from small animals — it could make conceivable a universal blood cell anyone could receive, no matter their blood type.