Global Medical History Written with the Discovery of New Blood Type “CRIB” in India
The world’s first-ever novel blood type, “CRIB,” has been identified at a blood center in Bangalore, India, marking a historic milestone in the field of medicine.
According to the report from “The Times of India,” a 38-year-old woman from the Karnataka state of India exhibited incompatible reactions during pre-surgical tests with existing blood types, leading to the identification of a novel blood type antigen, officially named CRIB.
The woman was originally classified as the common O positive blood type, but medical staff discovered her blood showed complete incompatibility with samples from all standard O positive blood donors, leading to a “pan-reactive” response. The case was then referred to the Advanced Immunohematology Reference Laboratory at the Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre.
In the search for compatible blood, the blood center compared her sample with those of 20 family members but found no matches. Ultimately, her surgery was successfully completed without the need for a blood transfusion.
Given the unique nature of the situation, her sample was sent to the International Blood Group Reference Laboratory (IBGRL) in Bristol, England for in-depth molecular analysis.
After ten months of systematic analysis and molecular testing, scientists confirmed the discovery of a previously unseen antigen belonging to the Cromer (CR) blood type system, officially named CRIB: where CR stands for Cromer and IB refers to India Bengaluru, symbolizing its origin and discovery location.
This groundbreaking achievement was formally announced at the 35th International Society of Blood Transfusion Regional Congress held in Milan, Italy in June this year. The woman has become the first person globally confirmed to carry the CRIB antigen.
The TTK Blood Centre, in collaboration with the Karnataka State Blood Transfusion Department and the National Institute of Immunohaematology (NIIH) of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), has established a Rare Donor Registry for rare blood types, including carriers of the CRIB type, to address emergency medical needs in the future.