HLA, a key player in organ transplant
HLAs, or Human Leukocyte Antigens, play a key role in organ transplant in Europe. These proteins, expressed on the surface of immune system cells, are critical in determining compatibility between donors and recipients, which has a direct impact on the success of an implant.
According to data provided by NHS Blood and Transplant, 3,119 people have received a transplant in the period from April 2023 to January 2024 and a further 7,331 are waiting for a transplant in the UK. Among these transplants, kidneys top the list in terms of frequency.
HLA compatibility is a critical factor in the selection of donors and recipients across Europe
There are over 140,000 people worldwide awaiting an organ transplant. Linking to regional databases such as the Cristal system used by the Biomedicine Agency in France to identify HLA-compatible donors for recipients waiting for an organ transplant is a key step in enabling IT to be a major asset in managing transplant requests. Clinisys is developing a dedicated API for Eurotransplant integration as well as APIs for your national donor / recipient management database. This can only improve the chances for waiting patients and reduce the number of deaths currently seen whilst on the waiting list.
One crucial element in the transplant process is compatibility between the donor and the recipient. This compatibility is largely determined by genetic features, including HLAs (Human Leukocyte Antigens). IT systems such as Clinisys HLA Transplant can now carry out Next Generation analyses integrating complex and high-definition results.
How?
Through our interfaces and by structuring the typing and screening results in our database. Thus, we can rapidly display the different results in our business screens.
Manage recipient follow-up
Efficient management of follow-up results is imperative to quickly provide visualisation of essential information. Here, we bring our expertise in reliable data access into play.
Remote data transfer
Using remote data transfer also facilitates the transplant process. The patient’s medical records can be shared in real time between healthcare facilities, enabling a fast evaluation of the viability of the transplant, and smoother coordination between medical teams.
The future of IT-assisted organ transplant
As information technology continues to evolve, it is highly likely that the effectiveness of organ transplants will further improve. Artificial intelligence, for example, could play an essential role in predicting compatibility and in customisation of post-transplant treatment.
Step by step, IT is revolutionising the management of organ transplants by speeding up response to transplant requests, by improving management of transplant waiting lists, and by enabling the remote transfer of medical files. These latest advances bring the hope of a more promising future for patients awaiting a transplant.