Donor selection in a pediatric stem cell transplantation cohort using PIRCHE and HLA-DPB1 typing.

Background: New strategies to optimize donor selection for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) have mainly been evaluated in adults, but the disease spectrum requiring HSCT differs significantly in children and has consequences for the risk of complications, such as graft-versus-host disease (GvHD).

Procedures: Here we evaluated whether HLA-DPB1 and Predicted Indirectly ReCognizable HLA-Epitope (PIRCHE) matching can improve donor selection and minimize risks specific for a pediatric cohort undergoing HSCT in Berlin between 2014 and 2016.

Results: The percentage of HLA-DPB1-mismatched HSCT in the pediatric cohort was in line with the general distribution among matched unrelated donor HSCT.