HLA At-A Glance

The Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) genes are those which are responsible for detecting foreign substances and triggering the immune system. Such HLA screening includes the detection of drug molecules, bacteria and viruses as well as the process of self recognition, such as the screening of tumor cells and autoimmunity. HLA variation is, of course, also the basis for organ transplant rejection. As a result, complex HLA genetic testing is now the standard of care for all of transplantation medicine, performed on @100,000 individuals per year worldwide and, as such, is the recognized gold standard for the field of personalized medicine.

A complex “HLA-like” genetic test is ideally suited to microarray technology, since microarrays can easily detect one thousand to one million local DNA changes in parallel. In spite of that apparently-ideal fit, there are only  a  couple  of microarray tests used in HLA testing today; the reason being that the existing microarray technologies were developed as research tools, not as a platform for clinical or public health screening. Thus, in their current form, microarrays are too complex, too expensive, and require a sample size that is too big to be implemented, practically, as part of large scale genetic testing.� However, GMSbiotech has solved this issue with its high resolution low cost micro array platform.

Beyond organ transplantation and vaccine response, there is now very strong evidence that personal variation in the HLA genes is also directly related to personal variation in the risk of viral infection; the risk of inflammatory joint disease; and very importantly, the dose limiting inflammatory response to drugs, known as “drug rash” or in extreme cases, the life-threatening Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS).

Table I. The Current Role (late 2008) for High Resolution HLA-B Testing: For AIDS Risk, Acacabir Pharmacogenomics, Reactive  Arthritis & other HLA-based diseases.

HLA-B Allele Clinical Indication correlated with Allele Comments Relative to Clinical Utility of HLA-B screening Ref.

B*07

Ebola. Protective (with B*14). Non-Fatal response to Ebola

B*07 + B*14 are highly enriched in those who survive

1).

B*11

Chlamydia trachomatis. Protective against blindness from Chlamydia trachomatis

Predictive of those who do not develop blindness

2).

B*14

Ebola. Protective, (along with B*07). Non-Fatal response to Ebola

B*07 + B*14 are highly enriched in those who survive

1).

B*15

Ebola. Sensitizes (with B*67) a Fatal response to Ebola

B*67 + B*15 highly enriched in those who perish

1).

B*1502

Adverse Drug Response. Carbamazepine induced Stevens-Johnson in Chinese

FDA: All Chinese should be screened before Rx

3).

B*1502

Adverse Drug Response. Carbamazepineinduced Stevens-Johnson in Chinese

Only solid psychiatric marker for pharmacogenomics

4).

B*17

Lukemia in children. ALL high leukocyte counts at presentation

B*17 and A*33 may combine to predict male relapse

5).

B*27

Ankylosing Spondylitis. (reactive arthritis). B*27 explains 50% of risk

Severity of reactive arthritis strongly correlated with B*27

6).

B*27

Ankylosing Spondylitis (reactive arthritis). B*27 plus IL-1 explain 75% of risk

Severity of reactive arthritis strongly correlated with B*27

7).

B*27

Ankylosing Spondylitis. (reactive arthritis). B*27 Correlates with increased arthritic pain in Reactive arthritis after a triggering infection

Severity of reactive arthritis strongly correlated with B*27

8).

B*27

Reactive Arthritis. B*27 associated with Enhanced Risk of severe Reactive arthritis

Clinical B*27 Review in Nature

9).

B*27

Chrone’s Disease. HLA-B27 appears to convey a very high risk of developing axial inflammation in Crohn's disease.

B*27 not associated with absolute Chrone’s risk, but with subsequent inflammation.

10).

B*27

HIV-1. All B*27 alleles Protective, HIV-1 Elite Controller

Also seems to correlate with early work on vaccines

11).

B*27

HIV-1. All B*27 alleles Protective, HIV-1 Elite Controller

HIV-1 can mutate out of suppression faster in B*27,Relative to B*57

12).

B*3503

HIV-1. B*3501 is protective for HIV progression, Other B*35 alleles show rapid HIV progression

As for B*57, a subtle change in B*35 allele has significant effects

13).

B*39

Diabetes. Type I diabetes genetic risk explained by B*39 Plus HLA-DQB1 and HLA-DRB1

High profile whole genome scanning study in Nature

14).

B*4402

Cervical Cancer. Enhanced squamous cell cervical cancer RISK with one or more; A*0201-Cw*0501 DRB1*0401-DQB1*0301

HLA explains enhanced genetic risk for Cervical cancer. B*4402 is central theme

15).

B*51

Beh�et's disease. Autoimmune disease of the vasculature

B*51 is strongly correlated with severity

16).

B*5401

Gastric Cancer. Reduced risk of gastric cancer

Mediated via H.Pilori infection

17).

B*57

HCV.Protective effect

All B*57’s correlated with spontaneous recovery

18).

B*5701

Adverse Drug Response. Abacavir sensitivity

Large scale US. Screening trail confirms predictive power for ADR

19).

B*5701

Adverse Drug Response. Abacavir sensitivity

Described as “Gold standard” in 2009 for personalized medicine

20).

B*5701

Adverse Drug Response. Abacavir sensitivity

NEJM landmark paper. Large scale Australian Screening trail confirms high predictive power for ADR

21).

B*57

HIV-1. Protective effect HIV-1, the Elite Controllers. HLA-B and KIR3DL1/KIR3DS1

Clinical Screening is now routine. The best characterized host protective effect in modern infectious disease research

22).

 

B*5701

HIV-1. Protective Effect HIV-1 Elite Controller. Highest genetic correlation. HLA-C may be a secondary player

The role of B*5701 in HIV risk upon infection is the gold standard in host effects in infectious disease

23).

B*5702

HIV-1. Not Protective HIV-1 Elite Controller

B*5701 & B*5702 must be cleanly resolved at high resolution. For HIV progression & Abacvir ADR

24).

B*5703

HIV-1. Protective Effect HIV-1 Elite Controller

Protective Mechanism is different than for B*5701

25).

B*5801

Adverse Drug Response. Allopurinol sensitivity in Chinese

Highly predictive of adverse response to allopurinol

26a).

26b).

B*5801

HIV-1.Protective Effect HIV-1 Elite Controller

More escape variants than for B*5701

27).

B*67

Ebola. Sensitizes (with B*15) Fatal response to Ebola in Uganda

B*67 + B*15 highly enriched in those who perish

1).

B*67

Lukemia children. Male ALL relapse in Chinese

 

28).

 



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