IMMUNO CLINICAL SERVICES page

CLINICAL SERVICES

Histocompatibility Testing

Identification of HLA antigens and alleles of patients, potential donors, and other appropriate individuals and assessment of the degree of match between potential donors and recipients

Detection and characterization of HLA-specific antibodies in patients awaiting transplantation and/or transfusion support

Crossmatch tests between potential donors and recipients

Post- Transplant Monitoring

Assays to detect and characterize HLA-specific and anti-idiotypic antibodies

Tests for micro-chimerism and engraftment

Test of donor-reactive T lymphocytes

Genetic Identification


Test of a variety of polymorphic genetic loci and statistical analyses of the genetic data to provide probabilities for any of the following conditions:

	A common source for two or more tissue specimens

	A genetic relationship between two or more individuals

	Twin zygosity

Cellular Service


	The laboratory maintains a large well-characterized cell repository for clinical and research use. There are facilities, equipment and personnel available to support all aspects of cellular research and development.

Antibody and Crossmatch Testing

Antibodies are the products of the immune response to foreign substances. The detection of antibodies is a critical component of a transplant work-up as the presence of HLA specific antibody may cause organ rejection. Crossmatch testing is performed to identify the presence of donor specific antibody against a potential donor. Generally, the crossmatch is the final test of compatibility prior to an organ transplant.

ASSAYS AND PROCEDURES AVAILABLE

HLA Typing

Identification of antigens of the following HLA loci: A, B, C, DRB1, DRB3-5, DQB1

Methods:

Serologic typing of HLA-class I

SSP typing of HLA class I and class II

In-line reverse hybridization of HLA class II

Identification of alleles of any of the following HLA loci: A, B, C, DRB1, DRB3-5, DQA1, DQB1, DPA1, DPB1

Methods:

SSOP

Sequence Based Typing (SBT)

Antibody Testing

Detection of HLA-specific antibody (class I or class II) by ELISA

Characterization of HLA-specific Antibody

Methods:

Cytotoxicity

ELISA

Crossmatch Tests

Methods:

Antiglobulin enhanced cytotoxicity

Flow cytometry

Isolation of DNA or RNA

EBV transformation of cell lines

Freezing and frozen storage of lymphocytes

Maintenance of cell lines

Isolation of bulk lymphocytes, T lymphocyte, B lymphocyte

Tests of promoter region polymorphism for the following cytokines: TNFalfa, TGFbeta, IL-10, IL-2

Test of microsatellite markers for various chromosomes

PRICING INFORMATION

Prices for various procedures can be obtained by contacting Mr. John Hart.

Price reductions are available for increased volumes and for relaxed reporting time requirements.

Testing protocols are established in accordance with the clients’ needs and are designed to provide the maximum information at the lowest overall cost.