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India.com
04-08-2025
- Health
- 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.
Time of India
30-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
World's first rare blood group found in Bangalore woman, marking a historic medical discovery
In a historic medical breakthrough, researchers have discovered a previously unknown blood group in a 38-year-old woman from Kolar district, Karnataka. This extraordinary finding came to light when she was admitted for cardiac surgery and her blood type was found to be incompatible with all available O-positive donor units, despite being categorised as O Rh+. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The case was escalated to the Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre and later to the International Blood Group Reference Laboratory (IBGRL) in the UK, leading to the identification of a new antigen - CRIB. This discovery has global significance, advancing rare blood group research and transfusion medicine. Rare blood mystery as O Rh+ type shows universal incompatibility before surgery The patient, initially identified as O Rh+; the most common blood group, required a routine transfusion ahead of cardiac surgery. However, none of the standard O-positive blood units were compatible. The hospital referred the case to the Advanced Immunohematology Reference Laboratory at the Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre. 'Using advanced serological testing, we found her blood was 'panreactive', meaning it reacted with all available samples. Recognising the likelihood of a rare or unidentified blood antigen, we tested 20 family members for compatibility, but none were a match,' noted Dr. Ankit Mathur from the Rotary Centre. Remarkably, her surgery was successfully completed without transfusion, and her samples were sent to IBGRL in Bristol, UK, for further analysis. First-ever CRIB antigen found in Bangalore woman After ten months of research and molecular testing, international experts identified a new antigen in the Cromer (CR) blood group system. In recognition of its origin, the antigen was officially named CRIB—with 'CR' representing Cromer and 'IB' for India, Bangalore. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The discovery was publicly announced at the 35th Regional Congress of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) in Milan, Italy, in June 2025. This marks the woman as the first individual globally confirmed with the CRIB antigen. To support individuals with rare or newly identified blood groups, the Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre has established a Rare Donor Registry in partnership with Karnataka State Blood Transfusion, IIH (ICMR, Mumbai), and with support from the International Society of Blood Transfusion. 'This discovery reinforces India's contribution to rare blood group research. We have previously supported multiple rare blood type cases, including Rh null and In b negative, all documented and presented internationally,' added Dr. Mathur. Rare blood group breakthrough improves future organ transplant and transfusion safety Rare blood types pose serious challenges in emergency transfusions, organ transplants, and complex surgeries. Identifying new antigens like CRIB enhances global transfusion safety, improves compatibility testing, and lays the foundation for better donor matching in future medical emergencies. This breakthrough positions India as a key player in global immunohematology research and sets the stage for improved awareness and advanced donor registries for rare blood groups worldwide. Also Read |
The Hindu
29-07-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Blood group not found anywhere else in the world discovered at Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre
A historic milestone in transfusion medicine has been achieved at the Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre, wherein a new blood group, previously unidentified anywhere in the world, has been discovered in a 38-year-old South Indian woman. The International Blood Group Reference Laboratory (IBGRL) at Bristol in the U.K., which detected the unknown blood group antigen after 10 months of extensive research and molecular testing, has found this new antigen to be part of the Cromer (CR) blood group system. In recognition of its origin, the group has been officially named 'CRIB', with CR representing Cromer and IB standing for India, Bengaluru. When the 38-year-old woman was admitted to the R.L. Jalappa Hospital and Research Centre in Kolar for a cardiac surgery in February last year, little did she know she would make history. Her blood group was O Positive. The surgeons asked the hospital blood bank to keep compatible blood in readiness prior to the surgery. But they could not find a single matched unit from their stock of O Positive blood. Ankit Mathur, Additional Medical Director at the Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre, told The Hindu on Tuesday that her blood sample was sent from Jalappa hospital to the Advanced Immunohematology Reference Lab at Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre, where it was found to be 'Panreactive'. This means it was incompatible (not matching) with all the samples they tested using advanced techniques. Family tested 'This case was very complicated, and it was a strong indication of a rare blood group. Since rare blood types sometimes occur as clusters in a family, we collected blood samples from 20 of her family members, including her children. However, none of her family members were a match either. We counselled her family and physicians, and thankfully, her surgery and recovery were managed smoothly without the need for any blood transfusions,' Dr. Mathur said. 'In future, if the woman needs a blood transfusion, we may have to do an autologous transfusion. If it is a planned surgery, we may have to give her iron supplements to boost her haemoglobin levels and collect her own blood and use it if necessary for the surgery,' he explained. Subsequently, the blood samples of the patient as well as the family were sent to the International Blood Group Reference Laboratory (IBGRL), Bristol, U.K. 'After about 10 months of advanced testing, the IBGRL reported that she has a never-before-described blood group antigen. They enumerated the structure and function of this antigen using molecular and other techniques. It was a new antigen within the blood group system called Cromer (CR),' said Soumee Banerjee, consultant (Transfusion Medicine) at the Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre. At the 35th Regional Congress of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT), held in Milan, Italy, on June 4, 2025, this antigen was named CRIB. 'This makes the woman the first person in the world to present with this antigen. The blood group nomenclature is decided by the ISBT, Red Cell Immunogenetics and Terminology,' Dr. Banerjee said. Rare donor registry To support the blood requirements of patients with rare blood groups, Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre's Bangalore Medical Services Trust (BMST), in association with the Karnataka State Blood Transfusion Council, and ICMR's National Institute of Immunohematology, launched a 'Rare Blood Donor' programme in January last year. 'We have been instrumental in identifying and providing optimal transfusion support to several other rare blood type patients (such as D- -, Rh null, and In b negative) over the recent years. These cases have also been published and presented at international forums. Till today, we have conducted testing on 2,108 regular repeat donors and found 21 donors are in the rare blood group type,' Dr. Mathur added.
