Cutting-edge technologies for HLA typing in Côte d’Ivoire: the role of next-generation sequencing 3970

Abstract Description Background In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the frequency of chronic diseases leading to organ failure and requiring organ transplants for patient survival. In Côte d’Ivoire, although transplants have been performed since 2012, there is no Histocompatibility platform available for testing. Objectives: Our project aims to develop a molecular HLA platform for patients in need of a transplant and to describe HLA polymorphism in Côte d’Ivoire. Methods Five ml of venous blood (EDTA) were collected. Genomic DNA was extracted and then frozen at -20 °C until typing. We performed a unique multiplex PCR amplification of 11 HLA loci. The PCR amplicons were sequenced using high-throughput sequencing with MinIon and analyzed with Nanotyper software. The immuno-polymorphism database was used for HLA analyses. Results A functional histocompatibility platform was established with the support of the French Blood Center. Approximately 400 donors were tested using next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques and Nanotype kits from Omixon laboratories. The results are currently being interpreted, and the analysis involves biostatistical tools and the population databases of the HLA-net.eu platform, developed and maintained at the University of Geneva. Conclusion The establishment of a local Histocompatibility platform and the expertise in HLA typing techniques in Côte d’Ivoire will contribute to better management of transplants. Funding Sources Supported by FONSTI Topic Categories Transplantation Immunology (TRAN)