The Past, Present, and Future of HLA Typing in Transplantation

The HLA region is the most polymorphic genes in the human genome and is associated with an increasing number of disease states. Historically, HLA typing methodology has been governed by phenotypic determination. This practice has evolved into the use of molecular methods such as real-time PCR, sequence-specific oligonucleotides, and sequencing-based methods. Numerous studies have identified HLA matching as a key determinate to improve patient outcomes from transplantation. Solid-organ transplants focus on HLA-DRB1 in renal organ allocation while hematopoietic cell transplants focus on HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1 matching. The role of HLA typing in the future will be driven by HLA expression, understanding of HLA haplotypes, and rapid HLA typing.