https://www.lemonde.fr/en/science/article/2025/06/21/gwada-negative-french-scientists-find-new-blood-type-in-woman_6742577_10.html Sunday, June 22, 2025 1:00 am (Paris) Navigation Go Back to the HomePage Sign in Sign in Subscribe * * Home Go Back to the HomePage * News In the news + Israel-Iran conflict + Diplomacy + War in Ukraine + War in Gaza + Tariffs + Donald Trump + Pope Leo XIV + French Politics + Emmanuel Macron All sections + Global issues + Economy + Environment + Science + Investigations + Magazine + Obituaries + Food + Sports + Lifestyle + Culture + Travel + Intimacy + Pixels + Les Decodeurs + Religion + About Us * World + World + United States + Africa + Middle East + Asia and Pacific + Letters from Photos of civilians and senior Iranian officials killed in Israeli attacks are displayed in the streets of Tehran, on June 19, 2025. 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Culture Subscribers only Gabriele Munter, a framing prodigy, emerges from the shadows in new Paris show * Search * Science * Health 'Gwada negative': French scientists find new blood type in woman The patient was undergoing routine tests before surgery when the unknown antibody was detected. Le Monde Published yesterday at 3:25 pm (Paris), updated yesterday at 11:01 pm 1 min read Share * Share on Messenger * Share on Facebook * Share by email * Share on Linkedin * Copy link A French woman from the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe has been identified as the only known carrier of a new blood type, dubbed "Gwada negative," France's blood supply agency has announced. "The EFS has just discovered the 48^th blood group system in the world!" the agency said in a statement on the social network LinkedIn. "This discovery was officially recognized in early June in Milan by the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT)." The announcement was made 15 years after researchers received a blood sample from a patient who was undergoing routine tests ahead of surgery, the French Blood Establishment (EFS) said on Friday. The scientific association had until now recognized 47 blood group systems. The discovery was first reported by radio France Inter. Thierry Peyrard, a medical biologist at the EFS involved in the discovery, told AFP that a "very unusual" antibody was first found in the patient in 2011. However, resources at the time did not allow for further research, he added. Scientists were finally able to unravel the mystery in 2019 thanks to "high-throughput DNA sequencing," which highlighted a genetic mutation, Peyrard said. The patient, who was 54 at the time and lived in Paris, was undergoing routine tests before surgery when the unknown antibody was detected, Peyrard said. This woman "is undoubtedly the only known case in the world," said the expert. "She is the only person in the world who is compatible with herself," he said. Peyrard said the woman inherited the blood type from her father and mother, who each had the mutated gene. The name "Gwada negative," which refers to the patient's origins and "sounds good in all languages," has been popular with the experts, said Peyrard. He and colleagues are now hoping to find other people with the same blood group. "Discovering new blood groups means offering patients with rare blood types a better level of care," the EFS said. The ABO blood group system was first discovered in the early 1900s. Thanks to DNA sequencing the discovery of new blood groups has accelerated in recent years. Le Monde Reuse this content Lecture du Monde en cours sur un autre appareil. Vous pouvez lire Le Monde sur un seul appareil a la fois Continuer a lire ici Ce message s'affichera sur l'autre appareil. 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