Integrated cartridge for fast and automated HLA genotyping (HLA-Express)

The objective of the project is the realization of a microfluidic cartridge for fast and automated genotyping of the human leukocyte antigen system for the transplantation of organs.

Beside a lower risk of error provided by the fully automated detection system, the main focus lies on a drastically reduced analyzing time from a blood sample to the result in the range of 30 to 60 minutes.
The shortened time for the genotyping of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) will allow for analyses before transplantation, increasing the patients’ safety and minimizing the risk of loss of valuable and scarce donor organs.

The sample pre-treatment will completely be implemented in the cartridge so that only one single pipetting step is necessary for the diagnostic HLA genotyping. This includes all sub-steps, such as DNA extraction from whole blood, allele-specific amplification and detection as well as analysis of the data and preparation of the report of the results. Moreover, further detection systems can be implemented on the cartridge, e.g. for blood typing. The cartridge can be applied in the field of Personalized Medicine.