Universal blood for transfusion could be created by hydrogel ‘camouflage’

A chemical framework that shrouds the surface of red blood cells could let people receive transfusions of blood that would be normally be incompatible with their immune systems. This could alleviate pressure on health services, which often experience critical shortages of rarer types of blood supplies.

After the ABO blood group system, the Rhesus system is the next most important – it’s the presence or absence of Rhesus D (Rh D) antigens on red blood cells that determines whether you have ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ blood. Around 94% of people have Rh D positive blood, which means hospitals often have extremely limited supplies of blood for patients with negative blood types.