Multiplex real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay for rapid and sensitive detection of hematopoietic chimerism.

The increase of mixed chimerism (MC) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has been associated with a high risk of relapse. A variety of techniques that use polymorphic markers have been established to survey hematopoietic chimerism status. The highest sensitivity is achieved using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR) analysis of insertion/deletion polymorphism, which allows the detection of disease recurrence and subsequently the earlier initiation of therapeutic intervention.