Tissue-Typing Method Accredited for Stem Cell Transplants

The use of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) tests based on next-generation sequencing has received official accreditation in Europe for tissue typing.

This new method will allow more precise and much more rapid tissue typing and donor selection for stem cell transplants than has been possible to date. In addition, the HLA testing method previously only used for research will now also be available as a standard routine diagnostic procedure.

The Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service of Upper Austria (Linz, Austria) has become the first laboratory to receive such accreditation from the European Federation for Immunogenetics (EFI; Leiden, The Netherlands) for this tissue typing method.

Human leukocyte antigens are used to determine compatibility between the tissues of different individuals, known as histocompatibility. Detection of the smallest individual differences in HLA sequences makes it possible to match donors and recipients at an early stage so as to adapt preventive and therapeutic measures, thus markedly reducing the rate of rejection reactions. The precision and speed of the process are key factors, particularly when searching for suitable matches in a bone marrow donor registry centralized at the global level.

The scientists in Austria used tests based on next-generation sequencing with Roche's GS Junior System (Basel, Switzerland). Christian Gabriel, MD, the Medical Director of the Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service of Upper Austria, emphasizing the benefits of the new standard method said: "Standardized laboratory procedures are needed to promote positive therapeutic outcomes for patients. EFI accreditation is an important step, allowing large numbers of patients to benefit from the latest technologies."

Thomas Schinecker, PhD, whose head of Roche Sequencing Solutions, said, “This accreditation is an example of how the potential of next-generation sequencing can be successfully translated from research into medicine and made widely available to patients in areas of high medical need. Worldwide, around 50,000 people a year urgently require a stem cell transplant, and the chances of finding an allogeneic stem cell donor are about 1:500,000.”

Related Links:
Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service of Upper Austria
European Federation for Immunogenetics
Roche