The award is presented every two years to a researcher who has made outstanding contributions to transfusion medicine. Martin L. Olsson is recognised for translational research on red blood cells, following 35 years of work mapping the genes behind human blood groups. The methods developed by his team help match blood more precisely to patients with chronic transfusion needs and reduce the risk of complications related to transfusions and pregnancy.
“I was actually a bit shocked when I found out I’d won the prize, I never would have believed it. When you see who else has won it in the past, it makes you feel both proud and humbled, but above all, absolutely delighted,” says Martin L. Olsson, professor of transfusion medicine at Lund University since 2006.
The beginning of the journey
Olsson’s interest in transfusion medicine began while studying medicine in 1987, when he started working at the blood bank. In the mid-1990s he completed part of his specialist training in Bristol, home to the International Blood Group Reference Laboratory, an international resource for difficult cases, such as identifying donors with very rare blood groups.
“Back home in Sweden, I might have had one or two extremely difficult cases a year, whereas in Bristol they could have ten such cases a day,” he says.
Two paths – same goal
After returning to Lund, Olsson combined clinical work in laboratory medicine with research into the genetic variants behind blood groups. Over time, the work developed along two tracks: increasingly personalised transfusions through better matching, and longer-term research aimed at developing ‘universal blood’.
“On the one hand, we want to make blood transfusions more precise using DNA-based typing to ensure the blood is an even better match for the patient. On the other hand, we are working on the idea of universal blood, so that in the long term we can reduce the need to match ABO groups in transfusions and organ transplants. These are almost opposite strategies, but both aim to make transfusions safer and more accessible,” he says.
From research to patient care
Research into blood groups and DNA typing has increasingly translated into patient care. DNA-based typing is now used more often alongside traditional blood group testing, providing a more detailed picture of blood characteristics especially for rare blood groups and for screening pregnant women who are RhD-negative. For patients who need repeated transfusions, better matching can reduce complications and the need for medication.
“I’m not out there saving patients in A&E, but what we do still has practical implications for many people. One example is that I was recently informed that the Canadian healthcare system has decided to adopt a method that I helped to publish. That sort of thing is meaningful and rewarding,” he says.
In the group’s work on universal blood, international collaborations have helped them convert A and B blood groups to type as O in a laboratory setting.
The quest for universal blood
In practice, ‘universal blood’ means converting A and B blood into blood that mimics O which is compatible with most recipients. Demand for O RhD-negative blood is high in emergencies and when a patient’s blood group is unknown, while supply is limited: around 5 per cent of blood donors in Sweden are O RhD-negative.
Researchers have long searched for ways to convert blood types A and B to O. Progress has involved several discoveries in the international research community from enzymes extracted from coffee beans to those derived from gut bacteria. The latter proved most effective, and Olsson and colleagues have been able to convert blood in both laboratory work and clinical trials.
The ideas of DNA-based blood grouping and universal blood have at times met scepticism. “You’re out of your minds – it won’t work,” the team has been told. But as DNA typing has become more widely used and universal blood looks increasingly promising, curiosity has increasingly replaced resistance.
Next step: approvals and patents
With an enzyme mixture capable of converting almost all blood to type O, regulatory processes still need to be completed before the method can be used more widely in healthcare. Together with partners at DTU in Copenhagen, Olsson has applied for a patent for the enzyme mixture required.
“I’ve almost completely changed my view on patents. Many people think that if you take out a patent, it becomes expensive and difficult for others to use. But if you don’t protect an idea, it becomes difficult to attract interest and then no companies will take it on, which can make implementation in healthcare harder. Through patent protection, we can either set up companies ourselves or license the technology to firms that develop a useful end product. The most important thing for me is that what we do will make a difference, not how it gets there,” he says.