Journal Article

Prospects and Potential for Chimerism Analysis after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Kenneth E. Nollet, Koki Ueda, Saori Miura, Kazuhiko Ikeda, Keiji Minakawa

2024

Overview

Chimerism analysis after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation serves to confirm engraftment, indicate relapse of hematologic malignancy, and attribute graft failure to either immune rejection or poor graft function. Short tandem repeat PCR (STR-PCR) is the prevailing method, followed by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), with detection limits of 1–5% and 0.1%, respectively. Chimerism assays using digital PCR or next-generation sequencing, both of which are more sensitive than STR-PCR, are increasingly used. Stable mixed chimerism is usually not associated with poor outcomes in non-malignant diseases, but recipient chimerism may foretell relapse of hematologic malignancies, so higher detection sensitivity may be beneficial in such cases. Thus, the need for and the type of intervention, e.g., immunosuppression regimen, donor lymphocyte infusion, and/or salvage second transplantation, should be guided by donor chimerism in the context of the feature and/or residual malignant cells of the disease to be treated.

• Publisher: MDPI AG,MDPI
• Subject: B cells / Chimerism / chimerism analysis / Cytology / Disease / Genetic testing / Graft rejection / Hematologic Neoplasms - genetics / Hematologic Neoplasms - immunology / Hematologic Neoplasms - therapy / Hematology / hematopoietic stem cell transplantation / Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation - methods / Hematopoietic stem cells / Humans / Immunosuppression / Immunotherapy / Laboratories / Leukemia / Lymphocytes / Malignancy / Methods / mixed chimerism / Next-generation sequencing / Polymerase chain reaction / QH573-671 / Review / Stem cell transplantation / Stem cells / Transplantation / Transplantation Chimera / Transplantation, Homologous