Molecular genetic typing is performed for all transplantation relevant (kidney, heart, lung, corneal, pancreatic and bone marrow transplantation), transfusion medical (NAIT, Trali etc.) and disease related questions.
The polymorphic genetic systems studied are the HLA (human leukocyte antigen) and HPA (human platelet antigens) system.
Methodically, molecular genetics continues to evolve towards the use of high-throughput procedures, which begins with a machine preparation of the patient samples used, or donor DNA from whole blood. Depending on the investigation, different typing methods as PCR-SSP (sequence-specific primers), PCR-SBT (sequencing of the loci with a 16-capillary Sanger sequencer from Applied Biosystems) and most recently sequencing with NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) are used. They lead to an even more accurate typing without ambiguities. Not only patients of the University Hospital Jena are examined, but also patients of other clinics, patients of established physicians from all over Germany and stem cell donors of the donor search unit Jena.