Science never ceases to surprise us and continues to advance day after day. More than five decades have passed since the research we are going to tell you about below, and researchers have discovered a new type of blood group. And you might be thinking, so what? That it is the key to researching rare diseases and the future of blood transmission. An unusual case in 1972 has changed medicine as we know it today.
When did this mystery begin?
In 1972, a pregnant woman went to the hospital and, when a blood test was performed, something was revealed that had never been seen before: her red blood cells lacked a molecule on the surface that is common in 99.99% of people.
So, this fact kept many English and Israeli doctors in suspense for decades, and it was not until now that they discovered that it is a new blood group system that has nothing to do with the ones we already know.
What is wrong with this blood group?
It has been classified as AnWj-, and is characterized by the lack of the AnWj antigen (which depends on a small protein called MAL). In the case of this woman, they discovered that she had a mutation in both MAL genes, and that it was inherited from her parents.
Antigens in blood groups.
Blood groups are defined by small markers called antigens, which are found on the surface of red blood cells and function as identifiers. These antigens are key in blood transfusions, since an incompatibility could cause a dangerous reaction of the immune system and cause permanent damage to the system. The discovery of the negative AnWj group highlights how much we still have to understand about these molecules!
What are the next steps?
Scientists have now identified three identical cases that share this strange new blood group, although these patients did not have the same genetic mutation. This opens up the possibility that certain blood disorders or even cancer may influence the expression of the AnWj antigen. The next step in the research will be to discover whether the absence of this antigen is due exclusively to genetic factors or whether it is also influenced by external elements.
It seems incredible that something as small as a molecule has turned transfusion medicine upside down. A small step towards continuing research into rare diseases and compatibility between patients. It has been 50 years since this genetic change was first discovered, and who knows how many things we still have to discover about ourselves! Medicine is incredible and its future is promising.