https://pages.htgaa.org/2026b/gabriela-vera/week-01-hw-project-ideas/index.htmlWhat do I want to biomanufacture, and why? I propose the scalable biomanufacturing of a recombinant enzyme cocktail capable of removing group B antigens from donated red blood cells (RBCs), producing cells with an O-like phenotype within the ABO system. Blood group compatibility depends partly on carbohydrate antigens displayed on the RBC surface. In emergencies and blood shortages, group O RBCs are especially valuable because they lack A and B antigens. However, O-negative and other group O supplies are limited. In 2024, Jensen et al. identified exoglycosidases from the mucin-degrading gut bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila that can remove canonical and extended A and B blood group antigens. The study reported improved compatibility between enzyme-treated RBCs and group O plasma. This suggests that gut microorganisms can provide enzymes for expanding the supply of ABO-compatible blood. My proposed product is not a living bacterium administered to a patient. It is a purified recombinant enzyme cocktail used ex vivo in a controlled blood-processing system. The proposal focuses on group B RBCs because their enzymatic conversion currently appears more efficient and requires less enzyme than the conversion of group A cells. The resulting cells should be described as ABO O-like, rather than universally compatible blood, because other clinically important antigens, including Rh and Kell, would remain present.Hugoen