Pankti Solanki: ISBT Recognized JAMA as the 49th Human Blood Group System
Pankti Solanki, Medical Laboratory Scientist, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“There are still blood groups we haven’t fully understood.
Recently, the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) recognized JAMA (ISBT049) as the 49th human blood group system.
The discovery began with an unusual immunohematology case: a patient’s plasma contained an antibody that reacted with almost all tested red blood cells, but not with her own cells or those of her brother.
When conventional serology could not explain the finding, researchers looked deeper.
Using immunohematological investigations, whole-exome sequencing and antigen-expression studies, they identified a rare variant in F11R, the gene encoding Junctional Adhesion Molecule-A (JAM-A).
This established the JAMA blood group system, with JAMA1 (JIMI) as its first antigen.
What makes the story particularly interesting is that JAM-A is expressed not only on red blood cells, but also on platelets.
It is a beautiful example of how a single unexplained antibody can lead from the blood bank bench to molecular genetics & eventually to the recognition of an entirely new blood group system.
For me, this is what makes transfusion medicine so fascinating.
The science doesn’t end when we identify what we already know.
Sometimes, it begins with asking:
What doesn’t fit?
And following that question far enough.”
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