Paris: French scientists have discovered a new and scarce human blood type, identified in a woman from Guadeloupe. The announcement was made by France’s national blood agency, the French Blood Establishment (EFS), 15 years after the initial blood sample. The woman, then 54 and living in Paris, was undergoing routine medical tests before surgery when doctors detected a very unusual antibody in her blood.
The case remained a mystery until 2019 when advances in high-throughput DNA sequencing finally revealed a genetic mutation responsible for the unique blood profile. Scientists confirmed that the woman had inherited this rare mutation from her parents.
On Friday, the EFS officially revealed that the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) recognized this as the world’s 48th blood group system earlier this month in Milan. Until now, only 47 blood group systems have been officially identified.
Medical biologist Thierry Peyrard, who worked on the case, said the patient is currently the only known person in the world with this blood type. “She is the only person compatible with herself,” Peyrard noted. The blood type has been named “Gwada negative,” referencing her Guadeloupe origins and chosen for its global appeal.
The discovery marks a scientific milestone and could help improve care for patients with rare blood types. Researchers now hope to identify others in the same group to expand medical understanding and treatment options.
