TY - JOUR AU - Mohammed, Mostafa AU - Al Sharkawy, Esmat AU - Eldin, Amel M. Kamal AU - Allam, Emad AU - Saber, Manal M. AU - Nassar, Anthony AU - Younis, Nour AU - Deban, Christa AU - Jaser, Ahmad AU - Guleria, Indira AU - El Essawy, Basset AU - Chandraker, Anil AU - Nasr, Mahmoud AU - Azzi, Jamil PY - 2023 DA - 2023/11/06 TI - HLA Typing and Donor-Specific Antibody Screening in Kidney Transplantation: Bridging the Past to the Future JO - OBM Transplantation SP - 201 VL - 07 IS - 04 AB - Human leukocyte antigens (HLA) are unique proteins expressed on the surface of human cells, playing a pivotal role in the immune system, particularly in the contexts of infection, cancer, and transplantation. The widespread adoption of HLA typing methods has become an essential component in assessing donor-recipient compatibility, a crucial limiting factor in solid organ transplantation. In general, the greater the disparity between a donor's and recipient's HLA types, the higher the likelihood of provoking an alloimmune response, which frequently results in alloimmune graft rejection. With significant advancements in organ transplantation techniques, immunosuppressive medications, and surgical procedures, attention has increasingly turned toward understanding and managing humoral rejection processes. Pre-transplant antibody screening plays a critical role in identifying individuals with elevated levels of antibodies against potential donor antigens. This screening aids in risk assessment and planning to mitigate the risk of antibody-mediated rejection (AbMR). Several methods are available for assessing circulating antigen-specific antibodies and HLA tissue typing, including cell-based assays like serological assays, complement-dependent cytotoxicity, and flow cytometry. However, non-cell-based approaches, such as molecular methods, HLA imputation techniques and high-throughput HLA-matchmaker assays have gained significant popularity due to their ability to provide higher resolution and robust donor-recipient matching. Despite the advancements in precision and sensitivity observed in HLA cutting-edge technologies, numerous challenges still persist. These challenges involve complexities linked to allelic ambiguities, the differentiation of closely related alleles, and the ongoing effort to establish a standardized HLA testing methodology across diverse laboratories. Additionally, correlating the HLA crossmatch results with the clinical outcomes for transplant donors poses another important aspect that warrants attention and requires expert analysis. In this review, we will enumerate the different methods of HLA typing and DSA screening and discuss the unmet needs and future directions for HLA typing methods. SN - 2577-5820 UR - https://doi.org/10.21926/obm.transplant.2304201 DO - 10.21926/obm.transplant.2304201 ID - Mohammed2023 ER -