Relevance of Chimerism Analysis After Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a potentially curative therapy for a range of malignant and non-malignant hematological diseases. Analysis of chimerism following allogeneic stem cell transplantation has been a routine method for the assessment of engraftment and early detection of graft failure. Lineage-specific chimerism monitoring is progressively used to specifically detect chimerism in one or more cell subsets, which may be undetected in assessment of the whole leukocyte population. The chimerism study in different leukocyte subpopulations increases sensitivity and specificity in the monitoring after transplantation, especially the analysis of T lymphocytes. All peripheral blood samples were separated into mononuclear cells and granulocytes by Ficoll density gradient centrifugation and T, B, and CD34+ was separated by immunomagnetic automatic cell separator. After DNA extraction, chimerism monitoring was performed using short tandem repeat by multiplex polymerase chain reaction followed by capillary electrophoresis. Quantification of chimerism was performed by determining the ratio of peak areas from donor and recipient informative short tandem repeat. Donor-recipient chimerism analysis in patients after allogeneic stem cell transplantation is a practical, feasible, and useful tool that predicts clinical outcomes and provides a guide for suitable therapeutic interventions.