An update to the HLA Nomenclature Guidelines of the World Marrow Donor Association, 2012

• Published in: Bone marrow transplantation (Basingstoke) Vol. 48; no. 11; pp. 1387 - 1388
• Main Authors: BOCHTLER, W, MAIERS, M, HURLEY, C. K, BAKKER, J. N. A, BAIER, D. M, HOFMANN, J. A, PINGEL, J, RIST, H-G, OUDSHOORN, M, MARSH, S. G. E, MULLER, C. R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basingstoke Nature Publishing Group 01.11.2013
• Subjects: Aims and objectives; Alleles; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Blood; Bone marrow; Bone marrow transplantation; Bone marrow, stem cells transplantation. Graft versus host reaction; Cord blood; Guidelines as Topic; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation - standards; Hematopoietic stem cells; Histocompatibility antigen HLA; Histocompatibility antigens; Histocompatibility Testing - standards; HLA Antigens - analysis; HLA Antigens - immunology; HLA histocompatibility antigens; Humans; Identification and classification; Immune response; Information technology; International Cooperation; Medical sciences; Medical societies; Observations; Stem cell transplantation; Stem cells; Terminology as Topic; Tissue Donors; Transfusions. Complications. Transfusion reactions. Cell and gene therapy; Umbilical cord; World Health Organization; World; HLA-System; Typing; Hematology; Stem cell; Nomenclature; Major histocompatibility system; Hematopoietic cell; hematopoietic stem cell donor registry; multiple allele codes; Recommendation; HLA-typing data; Allele; Donor; Register; Cord blood bank; Bone marrow; Genetics; HLA nomenclature; International
• ISSN: 0268-3369; 1476-5365
• DOI: 10.1038/bmt.2013.93

For more than two decades, international cooperation and information technology have been playing key roles in the identification of suitable unrelated donors and cord blood units for hematopoietic SCT. To ensure consistent coding and interpretation of HLA data among the linked computer systems, the World Marrow Donor Association has standardized the extensions of the World Health Organization (WHO) Nomenclature for factors of the HLA system applied in practice. The first version of this report published in 2007 has become the reference for the technical validation of HLA information on donors and patients in the context of search and matching and is used by registries of volunteer unrelated hematopoietic stem cell donors and umbilical cord blood banks throughout the world. The present update became necessary after the major revision of the WHO HLA nomenclature in April 2010. It now covers issues arising when alleles are withdrawn or renamed because of the continuous updating of the WHO HLA nomenclature. In addition, formal validation and interpretation rules for the so-called 'multiple allele codes' have been added.