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[HLA typing of donor corneas with extended post mortem time]
A C Ventura1, M Böhnke, C Löliger
1Universitäts-Augenklinik Hamburg-Eppendorf.
Summary
Optimizing retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cell culture allows HLA typing from donor eyes with extended post-mortem times. This improves cornea transplant suitability for high-risk patients by reducing rejection risk.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
Context:
- Cornea transplantation success in high-risk patients relies on HLA-matched donor corneas.
- Traditional HLA typing via blood lymphocytes is hindered by long post-mortem intervals.
- Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) offers an alternative for HLA typing, but is also limited by post-mortem time.
Purpose:
- To optimize culture conditions for RPE cells from donor eyes with extended post-mortem times.
- To enable timely HLA typing within acceptable cornea organ preservation periods.
- To establish a robust RPE cell isolation and culture method.
Summary:
- The study optimized RPE cell isolation and culture, establishing a growth medium with supplements like uvea-conditioned medium.
- Optimized culture conditions increased the successful estimation of HLA I and HLA II antigens from 36% to 74%.
- The HLA typing procedure time was reduced from an average of 38 days to 17 days, with 30% of long post-mortem time samples now typed in under 14 days.
Impact:
- Enhances the feasibility of HLA typing for donor corneas with longer preservation times.
- Potentially increases the availability of suitable donor corneas for high-risk transplant recipients.
- Reduces the risk of graft rejection in cornea transplantation through improved donor-recipient matching.