Detection of donor-specific-antibodies by solid phase assay and its relevance to complement-dependent-lymphocytotoxicity cross-matching in kidney transplantation

Presensitization against a broad array of HLA is associated with prolonged waiting times and inferior kidney allogaft survival. Although the use of solid phase assay (SPA) for the detection and characterization of anti-HLA antibodies provides greater sensitivity than complement-dependent lymphocytotoxicity (CDC) assay, it often detects donor specific antibodies (DSA) which turn out to be clinically irrelevant. Our data reinforce the concept that these two types of assays should be used in parallel for pre-and post-transplantation monitoring of anti-HLA antibodies in recipients of solid organ allografts.