Projects

Joint HCT-KIR Component

Dear IHWG Joint HCT-KIR Component Participants,

We are writing to update you on the progress of the HCT-KIR Component. In our last mailing in March 2003, we outlined the project goals, provided quality control protocols, and provided data submission forms for laboratory submission of KIR typing data and clinical data for hematopoietic celltransplant patients and their donors. These points were reviewed at the HCT component meeting in conjunction with the European Federation for Immunogenetics Meeting in Baden-Baden in May 2003.

Summary of HCT-KIR Goals:

The purpose of the study is to perform typing for the killer Ig-like receptor (KIR) genes for patients and donors undergoing matched unrelated transplants for AML, MDS, CML, and ALL. KIR typing will be correlated with HLA typing for these individuals and will also be evaluated for correlation to transplant outcome. The clinical outcomes of interest include: survival, infection, graft-versus-host disease, and relapse.

Data Collection:

A collective effort between international transplant registries and immunogenetics laboratories will be the most reliable way to identify the influence of KIR on transplant outcome. Transplant centers and typing laboratories are asked to provide clinical data, HLA typing, and KIR typing for the patients and donors on a standardized data submission form. Because KIR genotyping is a relatively new technology, there can be wide variation in typing results, depending on the methods used. To minimize method-related discrepancies, we require that all participating laboratories first complete genotyping of a reference panel of genomic DNA. The DNA samples are available free of charge from IHWG (laboratories pay only the shipping charge) and can be ordered through the IHWG website: http://www.ihwg.org/forms/NKKIRWebOrderForm.doc.

For questions on obtaining the reference panel, please contact Eric Mickelson (emickels@fhcrc.org).

Typing results can be submitted to database@ihwg.org.
Your typing results will be evaluated and feedback provided on the reliability of your typing method.

Review of Participation

The meeting in Baden-Baden was well-attended, and interest was high in the HCT-KIR component. This is a review of participation thus far:
Number of Interested Participating Laboratories: 47
Number of Committed Samples: 1991 donor-recipient pairs (499 pairs CML; 660 pairs AML; 367 pairs ALL; 465 pairs other)
Number of Interested Laboratories Who Participated in the IHWG KIR Component: 3
Number of Laboratories Requesting the Quality Control Kit: 20
Number of Laboratories Submitting QC Results: 1
Number of Laboratories Requiring Outside KIR Typing Assistance: 11

Individual Laboratory Progress Report

Our records indicate that you are interested in participating in the HCT-KIR project but that you have not yet requested the KIR Phase II DNA Panel. We require all participating laboratories to complete the KIR Phase II DNA Panel typing (16 samples) prior to submitting KIR genotyping data on donor-recipient samples. This step will confirm the accuracy of your KIR typing method. The DNA samples are available free of charge from IHWG (you pay only the shipping charge) and can be ordered through the IHWG website: http://www.ihwg.org/forms/NKKIRWebOrderForm.doc.
For questions on obtaining the reference panel, please contact Eric Mickelson (emickels@fhcrc.org).

Please complete the following attached forms and send them to database@ihwg.org

1. NKKIR reference panel II order form
2. Data submission for the KIR genotyping results of the KIR Phase II DNA Panel
3. Data submission for high resolution HLA typing and KIR typing results of your donor-recipient transplant pairs. The same ID number MUST be used when submitting HLA and KIR data on the same sample.
4. Questionnaire for clinical data submission
5. Certification and Data Sharing Agreement form

NKKIR reference panel II order form

Data submission forms

Certification and Data Sharing Agreement form

Best wishes,

Effie Petersdorf
Katharine Hsu
Mari Malkki
Bo Dupont

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