The Rogosin Institute Immunogenetics and Transplantation Laboratory (IGT) is one of the largest solid-organ immunogenetics laboratories in the Northeast. IGT provides specialized diagnostic services for patients waiting for organ transplants and post-transplant monitoring. The IGT laboratory, established in 1985 under the leadership of Dr. Manikkam Suthanthiran and Dr. Marilena Fotino, carries the tradition of being one of the first laboratories to provide testing for transplants.
Today, under the direction of Vijay K. Sharma, PhD and Manikkam Suthanthiran, MD, the laboratory continues to provide the highest quality testing using state of the art technology. A highly professional staff is dedicated to the service of clinicians and their patients. Over the years, the laboratory has grown exponentially in terms of the number of transplant centers it serves and the number of transplant candidates it supports. Currently, Rogosin IGT serves six major transplant centers in the New York/Metropolitan area. It provides laboratory support for kidney, pancreas, heart, liver, lung, face and small intestine transplants as well as testing for transfusion support and human stem cell/bone marrow transplantation.
Hours of Operation/Information/Contact
The IGT laboratory is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 AM – 10:00 PM. IGT on-call staff is available for emergency testing 24 hours a day, seven days a week (24/7). For additional information regarding our services please call (212) 772-6700 or (646) 317-0277.
HLA Typing
The IGT laboratory uses a DNA-based molecular technology to type for HLA using polymerase chain reaction sequence-specific oligonucleotide probes (PCR-SSOP) and polymerase chain reaction sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP). The platform for SSOP based HLA typing utilizes the latest xMAP technology from Luminex©. The laboratory routinely determines HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-CW, HLA-DRB1,3,4,5, and DQB1products. HLA typing for HLA-DQA1, HLA-DPB1 or high-resolution allele-level HLA typing is available by request.
Antibody Screening
Identification of anti-HLA antibodies against the donor is a critical component of compatibility testing. In addition, post-transplant monitoring for HLA antibody aids in the diagnosis of antibody-mediated rejection. The IGT laboratory performs HLA antibody detection screens and HLA antibody specificity determinations on the solid-phase xMap technology. The immunoassay detects IgG Class HLA antibody at very low levels and is considered the best method for defining HLA antibody specificity.
Crossmatches
The gold standard test for the decision to transplant is the complement dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) crossmatch. In addition, we routinely perform crossmatches using a laser technology based flow cytometer to detect low levels of donor-specific antibodies which may place the recipient at increased risk for acute rejection episodes. All kidney transplant recipients must have a prospective CDC crossmatch. Our staff is available 24/7 to perform this test for any potential recipient of a deceased-donor organ at any of the transplant hospitals we serve.
Consulting Services
In addition to testing, the IGT laboratory provides consulting services to each of the transplant centers for the interpretation of histocompatibility testing data and assessment of the patient’s immunologic risk factors.