French scientists have identified a new blood type in a woman originally from Guadeloupe, the French Blood Establishment (EFS) announced on Friday. Named “Gwada negative,” the newly discovered blood type makes this woman the sole known carrier worldwide.
The finding, confirmed by the International Society of Blood Transfusion earlier this June, marks the world’s 48th recognized blood group system. Previously, only 47 such systems had been officially classified.
Thierry Peyrard, a medical biologist at the EFS, explained that the discovery traces back to 2011, when an unusual antibody was first detected in a patient’s blood sample collected during pre-surgery tests. However, the technology at that time was insufficient to investigate further.
Advancements in high-throughput DNA sequencing in 2019 eventually revealed a genetic mutation responsible for the blood group, Peyrard told AFP. The patient, then 54 years old and living in Paris, was found to have inherited the mutated gene from both parents, making her the only person known to possess this rare blood type — and the only one compatible with herself.
The name “Gwada negative” pays tribute to the patient’s Guadeloupean roots and was chosen partly because it “sounds good in all languages,” Peyrard noted.
The ABO blood group system was first described in the early 1900s, but discoveries of new blood groups have accelerated in recent years thanks to advanced genetic sequencing.
The EFS emphasized that identifying new blood groups is essential for improving care for patients with rare blood types and expressed hopes of finding more individuals with Gwada negative in the future.
