CLINICAL NEWS
If this technology proved effective
in converting any-type blood into the
universal donor type O and feasible on
a large scale, the effect would be transformational. Blood banks tend to lean
heavily on donors who are type O, particularly if their blood also is RH-negative,
the authors noted. About 11 percent of
hospital transfusions involve donated
type O, RH-negative blood; however, this
specific blood type is in short supply, with
only about 6 percent of the population
carrying it.
“This is a significant step toward
developing [methods] for the complete
removal of blood group antigens,” the
authors wrote, “allowing for blood transfusions and organ and tissue transplants
from donors that would otherwise be
mismatched.”
Source: Kwan DH, Constantinescu I, Chapanian R, et al. Toward efficient
enzymes for the generation of universal blood through structure-guided
directed evolution. J Am Chem Soc. 2015;137:5695-705.
House Committee
Approves the 21st
Century Cures Act to
Accelerate Drug
Approvals
On May 21, a U.S. House of Representatives committee unanimously approved a
bill, known as the 21st Century Cures Act,
that would bring new drugs to the market
more quickly. The bill, developed by the
House Energy and Commerce Committee, requires the U.S. FDA to incorporate patient experience into its decision
making, streamline its review of drugs
for additional uses, and consider more
flexible forms of clinical trials. The draft