Bengaluru lab fails to match woman's blood type to anyone, discovers first human with ultra-rare antigen that could revolutionize medicine

Economic Times

6 days ago

iStock In a groundbreaking discovery, a woman from Karnataka has been identified with a novel blood group antigen, CRIB, unveiled at the ISBT congress in Milan. This finding, a potential game-changer for transfusion medicine and organ transplant safety, emerged after her blood reacted adversely to all compatible donor units during cardiac surgery. (Image: iStock)
In a remarkable turn of events that is being hailed as a historic medical milestone, a 38-year-old woman from Karnataka has become the first person in the world to be identified with a previously unknown blood group antigen — officially named CRIB. According to a report from Times of India, the discovery, unveiled at the 35th Regional Congress of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) in Milan in June 2025, is now being seen as a potential game-changer in the fields of transfusion medicine and organ transplant safety.
The name CRIB isn't random — it stands for Cromer-India-Bangalore, paying homage to the antigen's family system and the city where this scientific breakthrough took place.
The medical mystery began in an unsuspecting operation theatre. Admitted for cardiac surgery in Kolar district, the patient, believed to have the widely common O Rh+ blood group, was expected to receive a standard transfusion. But in a shocking twist, her blood reacted adversely to all compatible O-positive donor units. What should have been a routine procedure soon spiraled into a global medical investigation. With every available unit failing the compatibility test, the hospital escalated the case to the Advanced Immunohematology Reference Laboratory at Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre. 'We found her blood was panreactive — it reacted with every single donor sample,' said Dr. Ankit Mathur of the Rotary Centre. 'Even 20 of her closest family members didn't match. That's when we knew this was something the world hadn't seen before.'
With local testing hitting a wall, blood samples were sent overseas to the International Blood Group Reference Laboratory (IBGRL) in Bristol, UK. Ten months of meticulous molecular and serological testing later, researchers identified an entirely new antigen under the Cromer (CR) blood group system. The discovery was not just a scientific revelation — it was a collaborative triumph. The CRIB antigen now enters medical history as a reference point for future studies and emergency care cases around the globe. Despite the life-threatening stakes, doctors managed to perform the cardiac surgery without requiring a transfusion — a risky but ultimately successful decision. The woman not only survived but ended up redefining how the world views 'universal' blood types. This isn't the first time India has made headlines in rare blood discoveries. Dr. Mathur notes that India has previously identified and reported cases involving Rh null and In b negative types, which were presented at international platforms. However, CRIB's identification may prove even more significant due to its global implications.
To further address the rising need for rare donor matches, the Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre, in collaboration with Karnataka State Blood Transfusion Council, ICMR's IIH in Mumbai, and ISBT, has launched a Rare Donor Registry. Rare blood groups like CRIB are often difficult to detect and nearly impossible to match in emergencies. By adding a new antigen to global databases, CRIB opens the door to improved transfusion safety protocols, enhanced compatibility testing, and better organ transplant success rates. "This is not just a scientific win — it's a humanitarian one," said a representative from ISBT. 'CRIB will help protect lives where standard blood group typing fails.'
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