New Blood Group Discovered in Indian Woman

The World’s First CRIB Case

In what’s being called a medical shocker with global implications, doctors in Karnataka uncovered a new blood group in a 38-year-old woman—despite her being labelled O Rh positive, the world’s most common blood type.

The twist? Her blood rejected every available O-positive unit. Hospital staff, stunned by the incompatibility, rushed her case to Bangalore’s Rotary TTK Blood Centre, where advanced testing found her blood was panreactive—reacting negatively with all donor samples. Even her 20 family members failed compatibility checks.

That’s when the real drama began.

After months of testing and a referral to the International Blood Group Reference Laboratory (IBGRL) in the UK, researchers identified a previously unknown blood antigen—one that didn’t exist in any global registry. The new antigen was named CRIB, combining “CR” for the Cromer blood group and “IB” for India, Bangalore.

The woman’s surgery was ultimately performed without a transfusion, and her case has now rewritten part of blood transfusion science. The discovery was officially unveiled at the ISBT Congress in Milan, shaking up the field of immunohematology.

Why this matters:

It’s the first case of the CRIB antigen worldwide

CRIB joins the exclusive club of ultra-rare blood markers, like Rh null

It highlights how routine medical procedures can uncover life-altering science

India is now at the forefront of global rare blood group research

This isn’t just a local lab win. The new discovery opens doors for:

Improved transfusion safety in rare cases

New donor registries for hard-to-match patients

Future innovation in compatibility testing and rare antigen research

“This proves again that science doesn’t just happen in big cities or billion-dollar labs,” said one researcher involved. “It can start with a single patient in a cardiac ward—and end with a breakthrough that changes global medicine.”

So next time someone tells you they’re O positive, remember: in the world of blood types, even the most common label can hide a one-in-a-billion twist.

India just gave the world a brand new blood group. And they’re calling it CRIB.