Thermo Fisher Scientific Launches Organ Transplant Matching Advancements During ASHI 2021

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) proteins are expressed on all nucleated cells in the human body and are also found on the surface of many other tissues and organs. Candidates for organ transplant are routinely screened for the presence of antibodies directed against non-self HLA, and results are used to identify compatible donors. The presence of donor-specific HLA antibodies usually precludes transplantation.

A new serum treatment reagent is designed to address nonspecific antibody reactivity in some samples. This novel solution was developed in collaboration with scientists from Terasaki Innovation Center and is expected to be available later this year.

"Some samples demonstrate nonspecific antibody reactivity," said Sam Ho, director of the Histocompatibility and Infectious Disease Testing Laboratory at Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network. "This new reagent may enable us to identify specific reactivity with greater clarity, improving our ability to determine immunologic risk at all stages of the transplant patient journey."

Also announced at ASHI was a rapid next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay that will provide high-resolution data in five hours, reducing the time it currently takes to characterize the HLA genes in solid organs from deceased donors using NGS. Developed for use on the Oxford Nanopore platform, the new assay will improve time-to-results and confidence in decision-making. The assay is among significant investments Thermo Fisher is making in NGS, including its own portfolio of Ion Torrent NGS solutions for a wide range of applications. 

"The provision of deceased donor HLA typing at the allelic level within a clinically relevant timeframe will have a tremendous impact on the transplant outcomes of some of the most immunologically challenging patients awaiting a donated organ," said Nicole Brockway, president, transplant diagnostics at Thermo Fisher.

For more information on these and other innovations across the transplant diagnostics portfolio from Thermo Fisher, visit.

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