Scientists discover unique blood type in woman

The French Blood Supply Agency (EFS) announced the discovery of a new, previously unknown blood grouping system in a woman from Guadeloupe. This unique blood group was named "Guade-negative" and became the 48th classification system in the world.

The discovery of the new blood group reportedly comes 15 years after scientists obtained a sample of sanguine fluid from a patient undergoing tests before surgery. In 2011, the woman, then 54, from Paris, was found to have an unusual antibody that did not match any known blood group system. At the time, resources and technology did not allow for a full study, and the mystery antibody remained unexplained.

Now, thanks to the development of high-throughput DNA sequencing, scientists have been able to solve this mystery. It is noted that genetic analysis revealed a mutation in DNA, which became the basis for defining a new system. As a result, the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) officially recognized "Guada-negative" as the 48th blood group classification system in the world.

According to biologist Thierry Peyrard, the woman who donated blood is believed to be the only known carrier of this blood type. She inherited the mutation from her parents, each of whom had a mutated gene responsible for the formation of a particular antibody. This makes her unique on a global scale: she is “compatible only with herself,” which creates special challenges and opportunities for medical care.

The team behind the discovery has already begun searching for other people with the same blood type around the world. They hope that new DNA sequencing and analysis techniques will help identify additional cases and expand the database of rare blood types.

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