Laboratory
Midwest Transplant Network operates an independent regional laboratory specializing in laboratory procedures to support organ retrieval and transplantation. The lab uses luminex single antigen bead technology to identify unacceptable HLA antigens and donor specific antibodies and provides high quality and efficient services to the medical and transplant community with expertise in histocompatibility (serology and molecular methodologies), flow cytometry and molecular diagnostics. The laboratory is Medicare/CLIA certified and is accreditated by the American Society of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI), as well as by the College of American Pathologists (CAP).
Midwest Transplant Network laboratory has been a leader in HLA testing since its inception in 1973. It has been the sole provider of histocompatibility services for solid organ transplantation in Kansas and the western half of Missouri. In a concerted effort to keep abreast of new developments in the histocompatibility field, the laboratory has been a major contributor and participant in national and international histocompatibility workshops, and has been involved in such projects as defining the presence of new antigens and in studying the long-term graft survival related to matched vs. mismatched organs, crossmatch techniques and other factors.
The flow cytometry laboratory was established in 1982 to complement the transplant program and has expanded to encompass immune monitoring outside the transplant field. Prospective three color crossmatches for regraft patients has become standard in our crossmatch protocol. The molecular diagnostics department was established in 1992 and was the first to develop Cytomegalovirus testing by PCR in the area. HLA typing for Class I and Class II is routinely performed by molecular methods.
Midwest Transplant Network is committed to providing the transplant community with high-quality services to benefit patients and research programs. For additional information, please email us using our contact form.
