The Division of Transplantation and Immunogenetics (T&I) performs human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing, histocompatibility studies for organ and stem cell transplants (SCT), and other tests pertaining to transplantation, personalised medicine and immunogenetics. The Division also conducts research and provides educational and training programs to healthcare professionals.
Over the years, the number of potential and actual transplant candidates have increased exponentially. The Division continues to provide quality testing to determine compatibility between patients and donors. In addition, to ensure better coordination and educational provision to patients in solid organ transplant and SCT patients, Transplant Laboratory Coordination Centre (TLCC) was established in 2012.
T&I is accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP accredited No.: #7175525) and the American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI accredited No.: #06-9-CH-02-1), and fulfilled the requirement of the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) as a service provider of confirmatory HLA typing for unrelated SCT.
Our Vision
To provide laboratory diagnostic services on improving safety and success in transplantation and better management of patients.
Our Mission
T&I is committed to provide immunogenetics, histocompatibility and transplantation immunology testing services of international standards while advancing the knowledge through clinical research. In addition, this also help to nourish medical doctors, scientists, technologists and students with better understanding on transplantation immunology and immunogenetics.
Our Services
T&I offers a wide spectrum of specialised diagnostic services for the support of transplantation such as blood, stem cell, heart, lung, liver and kidney transplantations. Our services include: HLA typing for solid organ and SCT patients and donors, HLA typing for patient requiring HLA-compatible platelet transfusions, associations between HLA typing and diseases, HLA-related pharmacogenetics, anti-HLA antibody screening and identification for prevention of acute humoral organ rejection and monitoring of rejection responses in patients after organ transplant, lymphocyte crossmatching, emergency laboratory support for allocation of kidneys from deceased donors, natural killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor genotyping, engraftment analysis and immune function monitoring. We also perform HLA typing for the voluntary donors of the Hong Kong Bone Marrow Donor Registry and Hong Kong Red Cross Catherine Chow Cord Blood Bank. Furthermore, immunogenetics testings including Human Neutrophil Antigen (HNA) genotyping, HNA antibody testing and genetic testing for primary immunodeficiency diseases are available on consultation basis.
TLCC provides coordination between T&I and transplant centers for whole HK. TLCC also delivers education talk to patients and plays a concerted role in Paired Kidney Donation Program.