Scientists identify new blood type after 50 years of mystery

Scientists from the United Kingdom and Israel have solved a 50-year mystery involving a new blood type. It is characterized by the absence of the AnWj antigen, which is present in more than 99.9% of people.

This group was first identified in 1972, when a pregnant patient's blood was tested and found to lack a surface molecule that was present on all other red blood cells known at the time. After 50 years, this strange molecular absence has finally led researchers to describe a new system of blood groups in humans, ScienceAlert writes.

"It is a huge achievement and the culmination of a long team effort to finally create a new blood group system and be able to provide the best care for rare but important patients," said UK National Health Service hematologist Louise Tilley after nearly 20 years of personal research, adding that the work was challenging because genetic cases are very rare.

According to previous research, more than 99.9 percent of people have the AnWj antigen, which has been absent from patient blood since 1972. This antigen lives on the myelin and protein of lymphocytes, which has led researchers to call the newly described system the MAL blood group.

"MAL is a very small protein with some interesting properties, which made it difficult to identify and meant that we needed to pursue several lines of research to gather the evidence needed to establish this blood group system," explained Tim Satchwell, a cell biologist at the University of the West of England.

Identification of this anomaly is important for medical practice, as an incorrect blood transfusion due to antigen mismatch can lead to serious immune reactions.

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