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News18
19 hours ago
- Health
- News18
New Blood Group 'CRIB' Found In Bengaluru Woman During Surgery, Identified After 10 Months
Last Updated: After extensive tests in India failed, the patient's blood sample was sent to the UK, where scientists took 10 months to identify it as a new blood group and named it CRIB A groundbreaking discovery has been made in Bengaluru where a woman's unique blood group has been identified for the first time. The woman required surgery, but doctors were unable to match her blood group despite testing samples from about 20 individuals, including her family members. Remarkably, the surgery proceeded without the need for a blood transfusion. However, determining her blood group became a significant challenge. According to a BBC report, extensive tests in India failed to identify her blood group, prompting the sample to be sent to the UK's International Blood Group Reference Laboratory (IBGRL). After 10 months of in-depth study at the Bristol lab, scientists identified it as a new blood group, naming it CRIB. This name, Cromer India Bengaluru, was chosen due to its association with the Cromer blood group system and its first identification in a patient from Bengaluru. The discovery of CRIB was formally announced in June 2025 at the 35th International Society of Blood Transfusion Conference in Milan, Italy. This milestone is a source of pride for India, showcasing the country's scientific prowess in the medical field and enhancing the global blood donation and transfusion system. Identifying rare blood groups like CRIB is a significant breakthrough, aiding in understanding why blood matching can be difficult for some patients. With this information now in the international database, safe blood transfusions will be possible for any future patients with this rare blood group. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
New Indian Express
30-07-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
Kolar woman has blood group never seen before anywhere in world
BENGALURU: A new blood group, previously unidentified anywhere in the world, has been discovered in a South Indian woman from Kolar district in Karnataka. This remarkable case came to light when a 38-year-old woman was admitted for cardiac surgery at a hospital in Kolar. Her blood group was O Rh+, the most common blood group; however, none of the available O-positive blood units were compatible with her. The hospital escalated the case to the Advanced Immunohematology Reference Laboratory at the Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre for further investigation. 'Using advanced serological techniques, our 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 Dr Ankit Mathur from the Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre. Meanwhile, her and her family's blood samples were sent to the International Blood Group Reference Laboratory (IBGRL), Bristol, UK. Dr Mathur said that ten months of extensive research and molecular testing resulted in the discovery of a previously unknown blood group antigen.
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.
