Anti-HLA monoclonal antibodies used in flow cytometry-based method of chimerism analysis after HLA-mismatched hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Abstract

Although umbilical cord blood has been used successfully as an alternative donor source to treat hematological disorders, cord blood transplantation (CBT) is frequently complicated by graft failure and relapse of original diseases. Since recipient-derived hematopoietic cells persist or increase under these pathogenic conditions, analysis of donor-recipient mixed chimerism might be very useful to make early diagnosis of them. Since most CBT involves human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-mismatched transplantation, a flow cytometry-based method of chimerism analysis using anti-HLA antibodies to detect mismatched antigens has been developed in some research groups. We reviewed the features of anti-HLA antibodies used in this new developed technique.