A new NGS-based method for chimerism monitoring

Dr. Dan Hauzenberger, Medical Director, Section of Transplantation Immunology at Sweden’s Karolinska University Hospital, on how new, highly sensitive and precise methods for mixed chimerism analytics are transforming post-transplant monitoring, enabling earlier detection and treatment to improve and save the lives of transplanted patients. He also discusses why Karolinska decided to replace their STR-PCR and qPCR methods with a single, NGS-based method and the benefits achieved by doing so.

Case Study Preview

For at least 15 years Karolinska’s Transplantation Immunology Laboratory has used a combination of STR-PCR and qPCR, two well-established methods for detecting mixed chimerism. Both have clear advantages and disadvantages. The STR-PCR-based methods generally show high precision but a restricted limit of detection (LOD); qPCR on the other hand exhibits a high sensitivity but poor precision, especially at higher levels of mixed chimerism.

"While I am delighted about the increased efficiency and cost reductions we’ve achieved in the laboratory, I am even more excited about the sharper diagnostic tools we can now offer clinicians."
Dr. Dan Hauzenberger, M.D., Ph.D. Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden