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.
In the countries belonging to the Eurotransplant network (Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Croatia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria and Slovenia), 6,460 transplants were carried out in 2022. Kidney transplants lead the list in terms of the highest frequency, followed by livers, lungs, hearts and pancreases.
HLA compatibility is a critical factor in the selection of donors and recipients across Europe
In France, the Biomedicine Agency uses Cristal to identify HLA-compatible donors for recipients waiting for an organ transplant. There are more than 10.000 patients awaiting an organ transplant every year.
In fact, Europe is generally faced with a demand for organs that surpasses availability.
Information technology has proven to be a major asset in managing transplant requests, thus improving the chances for waiting patients.
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
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
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.