Prevention of Blood Incompatibility Related Hemagglutination: Blocking of Antigen A on Red Blood Cells Using In Silico Designed Recombinant Anti-A scFv

Abstract

Critical blood shortages plague healthcare systems, particularly in lower-income and middle-income countries. This affects patients requiring regular transfusions and creates challenges during emergencies where universal blood is vital. To address these shortages and support blood banks during emergencies, this study reports a method for increasing the compatibility of blood group A red blood cells (RBCs) by blocking surface antigen-A using anti-A single chain fragment variable (scFv). To enhance stability, the scFv was first modified with the addition of interdomain disulfide bonds. The most effective location for this modification was found to be H44-L232 of mutant-1a scFv. ScFv was then produced from E.coli BL21(DE3) and purified using a three-step process. Purified scFvs were then used to block maximum number of antigens-A on RBCs, and it was found that only monomers were functional, while dimers formed through incorrect domain-swapping were non-functional. These antigen-blocked RBCs displayed no clumping in hemagglutination testing with incompatible blood plasma. The dissociation constant KD was found to be 0.724 μM. Antigen-blocked RBCs have the potential to be given to other blood groups during emergencies. This innovative approach could significantly increase the pool of usable blood, potentially saving countless lives.