Neeraj Songara: CRIB – A Newly Recognized Antigen in the Cromer Blood Group System
Neeraj Songara, Resident Doctor at Dr S.N. Medical College Jodhpur, shared a post on LinkedIn about a recent article by Soumee Banerjee, published in Asian Journal of Transfusion Science, adding:
“CRIB: A Newly Recognized Antigen in the Cromer Blood Group System
One of the most fascinating recent developments in Transfusion Medicine and Immunohematology is the identification of a novel antigen in the Cromer (CROM) blood group system – subsequently named CRIB by the ISBT Working Party on Red Cell Immunogenetics and Blood Group Terminology.
The original report, published in the Asian Journal of Transfusion Science (2026), describes the identification of this novel antigen in a South Indian patient through a collaborative investigation involving advanced immunohematological testing and international reference laboratory support.
Why is CRIB important?
The Cromer blood group antigens are carried on decay-accelerating factor (DAF/CD55), a GPI-linked complement regulatory protein encoded by the CD55 gene.
The identification of a previously unrecognized Cromer antigen highlights how challenging cases of pan-reactive antibodies or antibodies against high-prevalence antigens can ultimately lead to the discovery of new blood group variants.
The investigation of rare blood groups often requires:
- Detailed antibody identification
- Reference laboratory evaluation
- Selected-cell and rare-cell testing
- Adsorption/elution studies
- Molecular characterization and CD55 genotyping
- International collaboration for confirmation and nomenclature
The CRIB story is a great example of how a difficult serological problem at the blood bank bench can lead to the discovery and characterization of a new blood group antigen.
Original publication:
Banerjee S, Mathur A, Reddy TVK.
A novel antigen of the Cromer blood group system in a South Indian patient.
Asian Journal of Transfusion Science. 2026.
Full publication:
‘A novel antigen of the Cromer blood group system in a South Indian patient’ (https://reference-url-citation.invalid/4)
A remarkable reminder that every complex antibody identification has the potential to teach us something new about human red-cell genetics.”
Title: A novel antigen of the Cromer blood group system in a South Indian patient
Authors: Soumee Banerjee, Ankit Mathur, TV Kumar Reddy
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