On solid-phase antibody assays

Octavio E Pajaro1, James F George

  • 1Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1530 3rd Avenue S., Birmingham, AL, USA. opajaro@uab.edu

There is considerable evidence that pre-operative and post-operative anti-human leukocyte antigen (anti-HLA) antibodies are deleterious in thoracic transplantation. While debate continues in heart and lung transplantation on the role of and the diagnosis and treatment of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), central to the discussion is our ability to detect anti-HLA antibodies. This perspective outlines the concerns elicited by new technology for detection of anti-HLA antibodies using solid-phase assays, and highlights the need for functional assays to further understand the clinical significance of these antibodies.