Blood Donor in Australia Affected Millions

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James Harrison, an Australian blood donor, has made a significant impact by donating blood since he was 14, totaling 1,100 donations by the age of 81. He possesses a unique antibody that helps prevent Rh factor-related immune attacks in pregnant mothers, which can lead to severe complications in newborns. His contributions have been crucial, reportedly saving the lives of 2.4 million babies. There is ongoing research to create human monoclonal antibodies from his blood, as attempts to synthesize a version have previously failed. A three-year project is underway to harvest his DNA and develop a library of his antibodies, potentially advancing the Anti-D program. The hope is that this research will lead to long-term solutions for the issues caused by Rh factor incompatibility.
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Here is a CNN article about James Harrison, a guy in Australia, who started donating blood when he was 14 (after he had an operation and required blod transfusions).
He has aged out of being acceptable for donating blood at 81. He is considered the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) Australian blood donor with 1,100 donations.
It was found out he had an antibody that could be used (in pregnant mothers) to prevent Rh factor based immune attacks on developing fetuses which can result in death or brain damage of the resulting babies.

It would be nice to have such a positive impact on the world.
he says:
"It's something I can do. It's one of my talents, probably my only talent, is that I can be a blood donor."

I hope someone tries to make some human monoclonal antibodies from him, which would perpetuate the production of the antibody. Making mouse monoclonals requires removing the spleen. I'm not clear on the details of how human monoclonals are made, perhaps they can use peripheral blood and leave the spleen alone.
 
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It is because of people like James Harrison that humanity is still surviving.

Regarding the monoclonal antibodies, we can only hope that someone is researching and will succeed soon.
 
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Wrichik Basu said:
It is because of people like James Harrison that humanity is still surviving.

Regarding the monoclonal antibodies, we can only hope that someone is researching and will succeed soon.

There seems to be https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rho(D)_immune_globulin.

However, https://www.smh.com.au/healthcare/f...-save-2-4-million-babies-20180511-p4zerp.html states: "Attempts to create a synthetic version has so far failed. The Blood Service recently started a three year research project to harvest Mr Harrison’s DNA and create a library of his monoclonals – the cocktail of antibodies and white blood cells that herald a promising new phase in the Anti-D program."
 
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Somehow, the thread title registered in my brains as "Infected Millions". :eek:

So good to see that the true story was so much better! Wow, I also hope some long term replication of this can be done.
 
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