A mouse model of hemolytic disease of the newborn.

In this issue of Blood, Stowell et al describe a novel mouse model of hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN) that recapitulates many of the key features of human disease.1 Recently, this same group of researchers described a transgenic mouse that expresses the human KEL2 (Chellano) red cell surface protein from the Kell system on red cells, and subsequently demonstrated that Kell differences on transfused blood induce antibody responses and hemolytic transfusion reactions similar to those seen in patients. In this latest report, Stowell et al demonstrate that similar to some patients, Kell differences between mother and father can lead to maternal antibody generation and hemolytic disease in utero. In so doing, they provide experimental confirmation of a long sought after animal model of HDFN.