ShareThe Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service of Upper Austria has become
the first laboratory in Europe to receive accreditation from the
European Federation for Immunogenetics (EFI) for the use of human
leukocyte antigen (HLA) tests based on next-generation sequencing with
Roche’s GS Junior System. 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.
“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,” said Thomas Schinecker, Head of Roche Sequencing
Solutions. “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.”
HLAs are used to determine compatibility between the tissues of
different individuals (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 centralised at the global level.
Underlining the benefits of the new standard method, Dr Christian
Gabriel, Medical Director of the Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service of
Upper Austria, said: “Standardised 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.”
Source: Roche
