Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) part 93

RENAL TRANSPLANTATION

Although the impact of HLA compatibility has been recognized for two decades, the advances in immunosuppression protocols are such that rejection episodes are managed more efficiently, thus minimizing the importance of HLA matching. A study based  on the United Network for Organ Sharing data reported that the impact of HLA compatibility had greatly diminished. Consequently, some allocation programs have gradually toned down the role of HLA matching from the algorithms used for prioritizations on the waiting list. The lower importance of HLA matching was also favoured in the early years of the 21th century with the advent of the microarray-based luminex technology for detecting donor-specific antibodies, thus allowing organ allocation around well characterized HLA specifities.