Medical Mystery Unfolds: India Discovers Blood Type Never Seen Before; Scientists Stunned By Medical First
CRIB stands for Cromer India Bengaluru. 'Cromer' refers to the blood group system under which the antigen has been classified. 'India' indicates the country of discovery and 'Bengaluru' marks the city where the blood sample was studied.
The discovery was made during routine testing before the woman was scheduled for cardiac surgery. Doctors at RL Jalappa Hospital in Kolar faced difficulty finding compatible blood, prompting further investigation. When no match could be found from blood banks or among 20 family members, her sample was sent to the International Blood Group Reference Laboratory (IBGRL) in Bristol, the United Kingdom.
After 10 months of analysis, the IBGRL confirmed the presence of a previously unidentified antigen in the Cromer blood group system. This was then reported to the ISBT, whose Red Cell Immunogenetics and Terminology Working Party approved the new antigen and added it to the Cromer system as the 21st known antigen.
According to Dr. Ankit Mathur, additional medical director at the Rotary-TTK Blood Centre in Bengaluru, the patient's red blood cells reacted abnormally in all compatibility tests. 'We could not match her blood with any known group. After extensive testing and global reference checks, a new antigen was confirmed,' he said.
The patient underwent successful heart surgery without needing a transfusion. Due to the unknown blood group at the time, doctors avoided using stored donor blood.
The case highlights potential challenges in emergency transfusion scenarios involving patients with rare or unknown blood types.
Dr. Mathur explained that in such cases, autologous blood transfusion, wherein the patient's own blood is collected and stored before surgery, becomes essential.
The CRIB antigen is not present in any of the woman's family members. Genetic analysis indicates the antigen developed due to partial expression of genes from one parent, with no known complete match so far.
India has previously reported rare blood groups, including the Bombay blood group (hh), first discovered in 1952. CRIB is now added to the list of globally recognised rare blood antigens originating from India.
Dr. Swati Kulkarni, former deputy director at ICMR-NIIH, highlighted the importance of building a national rare blood donor registry. The registry would help match rare blood group patients with compatible donors, especially in high-risk or repeat transfusion cases like thalassemia.
The discovery was formally announced in June 2025 at the 35th International Congress of the ISBT held in Milan, Italy.
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Business Standard
a day ago
- Business Standard
India doctors report discovery of new blood group CRIB, rarest in the world
In a ground-breaking medical discovery, Indian doctors have identified a blood group never seen before anywhere in the world. Dubbed CRIB, this ultra-rare blood type was discovered in a 38-year-old woman from Kolar, Karnataka, during preparations for a routine heart surgery - catapulting her case into the global spotlight for its uniqueness and raising critical questions about rare blood group awareness. Although her known blood type was O Rh-positive, none of the available O-positive blood units matched. The hospital then referred the case to the Advanced Immunohematology Reference Laboratory at the Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre for further testing. Dr Ankit Mathur from the Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre told The New Indian Express that using advanced serological techniques, his team found that her blood was 'panreactive', incompatible with all test samples. 'Recognising this as a possible case of a rare or unknown blood type, the team collected blood samples from 20 of her family members to search for a compatible match, but none of them were a match. The case was managed with utmost care, and with collaborative effort from her physicians and family, her surgery was successfully completed without the need for transfusion,' said Mathur. Her and her family's blood samples were later sent to the International Blood Group Reference Laboratory (IBGRL) in Bristol, UK, for further analysis. What is the CRIB blood group? CRIB stands for a previously unrecorded antigen profile that does not match any of the 43 known blood group systems recognised by the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT). CRIB stands for 'Chromosome Region Identified as Blood group. ' It belongs to the INRA (Indian Rare Antigen) blood group system, officially recognised by the ISBT in 2022. What makes CRIB unique is the absence of a common antigen found in most people. The cause was traced to a previously unknown antigen in the Cromer blood group system, which is linked to proteins on red blood cells. Such uniqueness presents significant medical challenges: No compatible donor found. In emergencies, the patient cannot receive standard blood transfusions. Pregnancy, surgeries, or accidents may pose critical risks without a rare blood match. How rare blood groups are identified Globally, a blood type is considered rare if it affects one in every 1,000 people. Examples of rare blood types that lack common antigens include Rhnull, Bombay (Oh), and Jr(a-). In cases with rare blood types, a patient's family is more likely to share the same rare blood type than random donors. Some of these blood types are so rare that fewer than 10 registered donors exist worldwide. While the ISBT maintains a database of rare blood types and donors, international co-operation goes a long way to keep these databases updated and relevant. Implications for India's healthcare system The discovery of the CRIB blood group could trigger advancements in transfusion medicine, genetic research, and emergency preparedness. It places India at the forefront of global haematology research. This finding could also help in managing cases of Hemolytic Disease of the Fetus and Newborn (HDFN), a condition where a mother's antibodies attack her baby's red blood cells. Early detection of CRIB can help prevent serious complications during pregnancy.
India.com
2 days ago
- India.com
Medical Mystery Unfolds: India Discovers Blood Type Never Seen Before; Scientists Stunned By Medical First
Bengaluru: A 38-year-old woman from Kolar district in Karnataka has been identified with a previously unknown blood group, now officially recognised and named CRIB by the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT). CRIB stands for Cromer India Bengaluru. 'Cromer' refers to the blood group system under which the antigen has been classified. 'India' indicates the country of discovery and 'Bengaluru' marks the city where the blood sample was studied. The discovery was made during routine testing before the woman was scheduled for cardiac surgery. Doctors at RL Jalappa Hospital in Kolar faced difficulty finding compatible blood, prompting further investigation. When no match could be found from blood banks or among 20 family members, her sample was sent to the International Blood Group Reference Laboratory (IBGRL) in Bristol, the United Kingdom. After 10 months of analysis, the IBGRL confirmed the presence of a previously unidentified antigen in the Cromer blood group system. This was then reported to the ISBT, whose Red Cell Immunogenetics and Terminology Working Party approved the new antigen and added it to the Cromer system as the 21st known antigen. According to Dr. Ankit Mathur, additional medical director at the Rotary-TTK Blood Centre in Bengaluru, the patient's red blood cells reacted abnormally in all compatibility tests. 'We could not match her blood with any known group. After extensive testing and global reference checks, a new antigen was confirmed,' he said. The patient underwent successful heart surgery without needing a transfusion. Due to the unknown blood group at the time, doctors avoided using stored donor blood. The case highlights potential challenges in emergency transfusion scenarios involving patients with rare or unknown blood types. Dr. Mathur explained that in such cases, autologous blood transfusion, wherein the patient's own blood is collected and stored before surgery, becomes essential. The CRIB antigen is not present in any of the woman's family members. Genetic analysis indicates the antigen developed due to partial expression of genes from one parent, with no known complete match so far. India has previously reported rare blood groups, including the Bombay blood group (hh), first discovered in 1952. CRIB is now added to the list of globally recognised rare blood antigens originating from India. Dr. Swati Kulkarni, former deputy director at ICMR-NIIH, highlighted the importance of building a national rare blood donor registry. The registry would help match rare blood group patients with compatible donors, especially in high-risk or repeat transfusion cases like thalassemia. The discovery was formally announced in June 2025 at the 35th International Congress of the ISBT held in Milan, Italy.
Economic Times
4 days ago
- Economic Times
Who is prof Manikandan Mathur, the IIT-Madras scientist who helped ISRO and NASA optimise NISAR satellite?
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