By Global Desklast Updated
New blood type discovered in France found in only one woman on Earth
Imagine needing a blood transfusion and learning that no one else on the planet can help you. French researchers have identified a brand-new human blood type found in only one person on the planet, a 68-year-old woman from Guadeloupe.Doctors have named it the 鈥淕wada negative鈥 blood type, and it鈥檚 the first newly discovered blood group system in years, now officially the 48th blood group recognized globally.鈥淲e had never seen anything like it,鈥 said Thierry Peyrard, the French biologist who led the research, announced at the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) Congress in Milan.鈥淪he is the only person in the world who can get along with herself,鈥 said Thierry Peyrard, biologist at France鈥檚 national blood agency (EFS), which made the discovery.The EFS has discovered 10 of the last 17 known blood group systems, placing France at the forefront of rare blood science.Live EventsHow did scientists discover the new blood group?It started in 2011, when the woman underwent routine pre-surgery tests in Paris. Her blood reacted to every known donor type. Doctors were alarmed. They couldn鈥檛 identify what made her immune system reject even the rarest matched blood. The case went cold.Because of the new genome sequencing tools, scientists finally cracked the code. They found a mutation in the PIGZ gene, a change inherited from both parents, that completely altered how proteins bind to red blood cells.Her blood produces antibodies that would destroy any transfused blood, except her own. She is only eligible for autologous transfusions (her own stored blood). In any emergency, there is no donor alive who can help her.Named after Guadeloupe鈥檚 local nickname 鈥淕wada,鈥 scientists are now combing donor databases in the Caribbean, hoping to find others who carry the rare mutation. So far, she鈥檚 alone. Finding a second Gwada negative donor could be life-saving for her or others who carry hidden genetic variations. It could also prevent deadly transfusion errors in rare patients.(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
Read More News onGwada negative blood typenew blood typerare blood group systemFrance鈥檚 national blood agency (EFS)guadelouperarest blood typehuman blood group systemsblood
(Catch all the US News, UK News, Canada News, International Breaking News Events, and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily International News Updates….moreless
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)Read More News onGwada negative blood typenew blood typerare blood group systemFrance鈥檚 national blood agency (EFS)guadelouperarest blood typehuman blood group systemsblood(Catch all the US News, UK News, Canada News, International Breaking News Events, and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily International News Updates….moreless
Explore More Stories123