Location of Discovery

• Kolar district, Karnataka, India

Background of the Case

• A 38-year-old woman from Kolar was admitted for cardiac surgery.
• Her blood group was O Rh+, which is common.
• However, no O+ units were compatible with her blood.

Investigation and Discovery

• The hospital referred her case to:
  • Advanced Immunohematology Reference Laboratory, Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre.
• Blood was panreactive – showed incompatibility with all samples tested.
• 20 of her family members’ samples also showed no match.

Analysis and Research

• The woman’s and her family’s blood samples were sent to:
  • International Blood Group Reference Laboratory (IBGRL), Bristol, UK.
• 10 months of extensive research and molecular testing.
• Discovered a new antigen in the Cromer (CR) blood group system.

New Blood Group: CRIB

• CRIB:
  • “CR” = Cromer
  • “IB” = India + Bangalore
• First person in the world identified with this CRIB antigen.

Recognition

• Officially announced at the 35th Regional Congress of the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT), Milan, Italy – June 2025.

Post-Discovery Initiatives

• Rare Donor Registry started by Rotary Bangalore TTK Blood Centre.
• The CRIB antigen discovery adds to known rare blood types such as:
  • D- –
  • Rh null

In b negative, etc.