Projects

Bone Marrow Donor Registries Project

This group are interested in forming a discussion panel to consider scientific and technical issues surrounding bone marrow and cord blood registries.

Aspects include:

1. Methods for registry typing (assembly of methods, techniques, kits used, equipment for large volume)
2. Resolution for registry typing (discussion of which loci and resolution; how to handle new alleles)
3. Search determinants:how do we link various HLA types in the match algorithms, can we achieve any standardization
4. Quality control of typing
5. Method of HLA data collection and storage
6. Could some of the population genetics tools developed in the 13thworkshop be used to help registries evaluate their diversity

April 2005 Update:

The Bone Marrow Donor Registries group has initiated two projects in conjunction with the Quality Assurance Working Group of the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA). The first project co-ordinated by Carolyn Hurley ( Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA) and Machteld Oudshoorn (Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide/Europdonor, Leiden, The Netherlands) is an analysis of the HLA typing of volunteers newly recruited to registries. A survey has been posted on the WMDA web site (www.worldmarrow.org under the Quality Assurance Working Group section). Of the 60 member registries of the WMDA, 16 have completed the survey. The results were reviewed by the registries at a recent meeting in Prague and will be posted on the WMDA web site. The registries completing the survey span the range of donor file size from 1700 volunteers to almost 4 million and work with from one to 28 HLA typing laboratories. While most registries use DNA-based typing for DRB1 identification, about half of the responding registries still use predominantly serologic typing for HLA-A and –B typing (Figure). Sequence-specific oligonucleotide probe typing was the primary DNA-based method used for typing new volunteers. Other areas of the survey covered the number of volunteers typed each year, the resolution of testing, quality control and accreditation, types of kits used, storage of cells/DNA for further testing, and variations in typing strategies. Registries and HLA typing laboratories are encouraged to respond to questions raised by this survey on the digital discussion section of the 14 th workshop web site: (http://www.microbiol.unimelb.edu.au/cgi-bin/discus/discus.cgi).

The second donor registries project coordinated by Henk van der Zanden of Europdonor ( Leiden, The Netherlands) and Marie-Lorraine Appert from the France Greffe de Moelle ( Paris, France) will focus on developing strategies to evaluate HLA diversity within registries. The project was described at the WMDA meeting in Prague. The focus will be on using high and low resolution HLA data obtained from donors who can be localized to particular regions of a country to evaluate allele frequencies and haplotypes. Interested registries should contact Henk at zanden@europdonor.nl.

Coordinators:

Carolyn Hurley email: hurleyc@georgetown.edu

Machteld Oudshoorn email: oudshoorn@europdonor.nl

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