Thermo Fisher expands HLA-DQ coverage with new LABScreen ExPlex panel

Thermo Fisher Scientific has expanded HLA-DQ coverage in its LABScreen™ Single Antigen ExPlex portfolio with the launch of LABScreen™ Single Antigen HLA Class II ExPlex – Group 2, providing histocompatibility and transplant laboratories in the EU with more comprehensive tools to assess HLA antibodies and support more informed transplant decisions.

The detection and characterization of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies are central to assessing immunological risk in solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Conventional HLA antibody testing has traditionally focused on antigen-level reactivity, but increasing attention has shifted toward epitope- and eplet-based analysis as a more refined approach to understanding alloimmune responses.

To help laboratories address this challenge, the new panel extends HLA-DQ coverage, enabling more comprehensive antibody assessment in complex transplant cases.

Available in the EU under IVDR, the extended ExPlex panel can be combined in a single well with LABScreen Single Antigen assays — the established standard for HLA antibody detection — without requiring additional time after assay setup. Laboratories may gain expanded analytical capability without retraining staff, modifying workflows or investing in new instrumentation.

Features and benefits

Expanded HLA-DQ coverage

• Adds 27 HLA-DQ antigens and heterodimer combinations to the existing 24-bead ExPlex offering
• Creates a new 51-bead extended panel
• Enables assessment of up to 146 Class II Single Antigen Beads in a single well

Easy workflow integration

• Integrates directly into existing LABScreen Single Antigen workflows
• Enables expanded HLA-DQ analytical capability without increasing operational complexity
• Reduces the need for additional training, process changes or new equipment investments

Key customers and applications

• Histocompatibility and immunogenetics laboratories managing increasingly complex HLA antibody profiles
• Transplant laboratory directors and managers evaluating panel coverage against a diversifying global HLA database
• Transplant centers handling antibody assessment for complex or sensitized transplant cases
• Transplant clinicians requiring more comprehensive HLA-DQ data to inform clinical decisions

“HLA-DQ antibodies have become an area of increasing clinical focus, with growing evidence linking them to transplant rejection,” said Dave Lowe, senior director, research and development, transplant diagnostics, Thermo Fisher Scientific. “By expanding HLA-DQ coverage within an existing workflow, laboratories can support better-informed matching decisions before transplant and more comprehensive monitoring after, where earlier detection of donor-specific antibodies can make a meaningful difference for patients.”

Products are CE-marked for in vitro diagnostic use in the EU. Availability is dependent on local regulatory authorization. Products are not available in the United States or Canada.

Want the latest science news straight to your inbox? Become a SelectScience member for free today>>