Synthetic glycolipid modification of red blood cell membranes

BACKGROUND: Glycolipids have a natural ability to insert into red cell (RBC) membranes. Based on this concept the serology of RBCs modified with synthetic analogs of blood group glycolipids (KODE technology) was developed, which entails making synthetic gly-colipid constructs engineered to have specific perfor-mance criteria. Such synthetic constructs can be made to express a potentially unlimited range of carbohydrate blood group determinants. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Synthetic constructs incorporating A, B, acquired-B, and Lea blood group determinants were constructed and used to modify RBCs. Modified cells were assessed by routine sero-logic methods using a range of commercially available monoclonal antibodies