Clinical application of functional assays for assessing the red cell antibody activity

Functional assays (the monocyte monolayer assay, the chemiluminescence test, and the antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity assay) aim to reflect an interaction between sensitized red calls and Fc-gamma receptor bearing mononuclear cells, which plays the main role in immune destruction of erythrocytes in vivo. These assays have been used for predicting the clinical significance of antibodies in hemolytic disease of the newborn, in patients with alloantibodies requiring transfusion and patients suspected of autoimmune hemolytic anemia. This review presents a brief summary of the literature on this subject. In many cases (especially in hemolytic disease of the newborn, RhD) the results of bioassays can assess the functional activity of antibodies in vivo, but further investigation is needed to establish their real value for clinical practice.