A new approach to the identification of blood group patterns will improve patient care and should save lives. The development of the new test, Bloodchip, was announced on 7 September 2006 at a meeting of the International Society for Blood Transfusion in South Africa. Like the current serological tests, Bloodchip identifies the conventional A, B, AB, O and RhD groupings but also determines the status of up to nine other variations in blood including RhC, RhE, Diego, Duffy, Kell, Kidd and MNS.

Blood transfusions are inherently safe when compatibility between donor and recipient is tested with the present ABO and Rhesus serological techniques. However, patients with conditions such as sickle cell anaemia and thalassaemia that require multiple blood transfusions can develop antibodies against blood group antigens that are not normally tested. Transfusion with blood containing these antigens leads to serious and potentially life-threatening reactions. Bloodchip will allow exact matching of the blood patterns of donor and recipient, preventing antibody development and subsequent transfusion reactions. Professor Marion Scott, UK National Blood Service Director of Research, has said that the Bloodchip test will literally be a lifesaver in these conditions.

The test extracts and replicates DNA from blood. Fragments of the DNA are labelled with a fluorescent marker and then exposed to a slide to which is fixed an array of DNA fragments specific for the blood groups. Fragments that combine (hybridise) with specific DNA on the slide allow the blood groups to be identified using a scanning fluorimeter.

Bloodchip has been developed over the past three years by a consortium from academic and blood transfusion units in the UK, Germany, Sweden, Spain, the Czech republic and the Netherlands together with a Spanish biotechnology company, Progenika Biopharma. Support of €2 million was received from the European Union together with €1 million from Progenika Biopharma which will manufacture it. The system has been compared in 3,000 patients against conventional serological tests for all the blood groups and will shortly receive the European CE mark and undergo intensive clinical trials.