Molecular Testing for Red Cell Antigens in the Setting of Transplant or Chimerism

Educational Track: Technical/Clinical
Topic: Transfusion Medicine
Intended Audience: CEOs, CFOs, COOs, Director, Facilities that perform molecular testing, Hospitals, Hospital Blood Banks, Immunohematology Reference Labs (IRL’s), Laboratory Staff, Managers/Supervisors, Medical Directors, Nurses, Perfusionists, Physicians, Resident/Fellow, Students (MD, MT, SBB), Technologists, Transfusion Safety Officer
Teaching Level: Basic to Intermediate

Director/Moderator: Lisa M. Shave MS, MLS(ASCP)CMSBB^CM, Medical Laboratory Technology Program Coordinator & Professor, Mercer County Community College, West Windsor, NJ; Medical Laboratory Scientist, Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, PA
Speaker: Margaret A. Keller, PhD, Senior Director, National Molecular Laboratory, American Red Cross, Philadelphia, PA

Learning Objectives

After participating in this educational activity, participants should be able to:

• Describe how molecular testing is used to determine blood group antigen phenotypes.
• Describe how stem cell transplant or chimerism can complicate red cell phenotyping.
• Describe how red cell alloimmunization can impact decision making and planning around hematopoietic stem cell transplant.
• Use case studies to illustrate the challenges of phenotyping in these scenarios.

Program Description

Molecular testing for blood group antigen phenotypes is becoming a commonly used in the toolbox of transfusion medicine, especially in patient populations with high alloimmunization rates, including those with hemoglobinopathies. The ability to phenotype using serology or molecular methods can be hampered by chimerism whether natural or due to incomplete engraftment. In addition, availability of blood products for the pre-transplant period and the time immediately following the transplant for patients who are highly alloimmunized can add another barrier to life-saving treatment. Cases will be used to illustrate these points.

Registration

AABB understands the value of learning together as a group but with COVID-19, bringing everyone together to share the experience in person may not be an option for your team. Given this, all participants in a group will be provided the ability to register as a single viewer (AABB will provide a promocode to registered group viewing coordinators to share with their team in advance of the live program). If you are a group interested in participating in this eCast, simply complete the Group Viewing registration form and AABB will provide detailed instructions to share with your team. For single viewers, the process has not changed.

Continuing Education Credit

AABB estimates both the live and on-demand version of this eCast each to be eligible for 1 continuing education credits/contact hours for Physicians, California Nurse, California Lab Personnel, Florida Lab Personnel and General Participation credit. The final number of credit(s) and credit types awarded for this program (live or on-demand) will be determined by the program duration. For more information on each credit type please visit our Continuing Education Credits webpage.

Disclosures for the planners of this event can be found here. Disclosures for the program faculty are provided at the beginning of the program.

Speaker Biography

Dr. Margaret Keller is the Senior Director of the AABB accredited American Red Cross National Molecular Laboratory in Philadelphia where she is involved in both donor and patient testing for red blood cell and platelet antigens. She is adjunct Associate Professor at Thomas Jefferson University. Margaret Keller received her PhD in molecular genetics from the University of Pennsylvania. She is American Red Cross liaison to the Molecular Testing Standards Unit of the AABB and a member of the ISBT Working Party on Blood Group Allele Terminology and Immunogenetics. She is molecular editor of the journal Immunohematology.

Click here for more about the curriculum for the AABB Blood Banking & Transfusion Medicine 101: eCast Series.  AABB eCasts are 60-90-minute interactive, online programs that include a question and answer period. Participants need access to a computer with an active Internet connection to participate. To register for online live and on-demand programs, view AABB’s registration options and pricing here.