title: In vivo neutralization of anti-A and successful transfusion of A antigen-incompatible red blood cells in an animal model.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Our aim was to determine if the historical principle of Lewis glycolipid neutralization of antibody and subsequent Lewis-incompatible transfusion could be extended and applied to the ABO blood group system using synthetic glycolipid-like constructs.
  
  
  METHODS
  In vitro experiments with human blood and blood group A function-spacer-lipid constructs (FSL-A) were used to determine rates and concentrations that caused antigen transformation and anti-A neutralization. FSL-A constructs were intravenously infused into naive and anti-A-immunized mice to determine in vivo antigen transformation, anti-A inhibition, and tolerance to A antigen-incompatible transfusions (A+biotin kodecytes).
  
  
  RESULTS
  FSL-A was able to cause in vivo transformation of circulating mouse cells into A antigen-positive cells (in vivo A kodecytes) without consequence in animals either with or without circulating anti-A. FSL-A was able to neutralize circulating anti-A and allow for successful transfusion of incompatible A kodecytes. In the absence of FSL-A neutralization incompatible cells were rapidly destroyed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  FSL constructs have the potential to neutralize circulating antibodies and allow for, or mitigate, the consequences of ABO-incompatible red blood cell transfusion.
authors: Biotechnology Research Institute, AUT University, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors: Caroline
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