Luminex® xMAP® technology is an effective strategy for high-definition human leukocyte antigen typing of cord blood units prior to listing

Introduction: Allele-level donor–recipient match at HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C and HLA-DRB1 loci impacts the outcome after cord blood transplantation for hematologic malignancies and modifies the strategy of donor selection. High definition of both class I and II HLA loci at time of listing is a way to improve the attractiveness of cord blood bank inventories, reducing the time for donor search and procurement and simplifying donor choice, in particular, for patients of non-European heritage. Methods: In 2014, Luminex® xMAP® technology was introduced in our laboratory practice and was applied to cord blood units typing. In this study, we evaluated the impact of this strategy in comparison with the platform in use until 2013, relying on LiPA reverse polymerase chain reaction–sequence-specific oligonucleotide (revPCR-SSO) plus polymerase chain reaction–sequence-specific primer (PCR-SSP). Results: In 2014, the time for testing was shorter (141 vs 181 days on average), the number of test repetitions was lower (in particular for HLA-A locus, p = 0.026), and the cost reduced (240.7 vs 395.6 euros per unit on average) compared to 2013, demonstrating that Luminex xMAP technology is superior to the previous approach. Conclusion: Luminex xMAP platform has useful application in cord blood banking programs, to achieve high-definition HLA typing of cord blood units at the time of banking in a quick, accurate, and cost-effective manner.