Thousands of people suffer from leukaemia, aplastic anaemia and immune deficiency diseases in which the stem cells of bone marrow malfunction, causing defective blood cells that interfere with normal blood production and may invade other tissues. Treatments to destroy abnormal stem cells followed by transplantation of stem cells from compatible, healthy donor tissue have increased the success of treating these diseases. A chimera, an individual composed of two genetically distinct types of cells, results from the transplant.
Quantification of chimerism is used to monitor engraftment of donor cells following stem cell transplantation and is essential for early diagnosis of graft failure or relapse of the disease.
Analysis of transplant recipient, donor and post-transplant samples using PCR of a panel of polymorphic microsatellite markers followed by data analysis using ChimerMarker software from SoftGenetics is performed. The software indentifies markers which can be used to track the recipient’s response to bone marrow transplant and the percentage donor chimerism for each post transplant sample received is reported.
Test |
Cost NZD* |
Sample Requirements |
Current TAT |
Chimerism analysis - work-up & first post transplant sample |
$350 | 3 ml of whole blood in EDTA (purple Top) from recipient pre-transplant 3 ml of whole blood in EDTA (purple Top) from donor |
1 week from receipt of each post-transplant sample |
Chimerism analysis - subsequent post transplant sample |
$200 | 3 ml of whole blood in EDTA (purple Top) from recipient post-transplant | 1 week from receipt of each post-transplant sample |
Thousands of people suffer from leukaemia, aplastic anaemia and immune deficiency diseases in which the stem cells of bone marrow malfunction, causing defective blood cells that interfere with normal blood production and may invade other tissues. Treatments to destroy abnormal stem cells followed by transplantation of stem cells from compatible, healthy donor tissue have increased the success of treating these diseases. A chimera, an individual composed of two genetically distinct types of cells, results from the transplant.
Quantification of chimerism is used to monitor engraftment of donor cells following stem cell transplantation and is essential for early diagnosis of graft failure or relapse of the disease.
Analysis of transplant recipient, donor and post-transplant samples using PCR of a panel of polymorphic microsatellite markers followed by data analysis using ChimerMarker software from SoftGenetics is performed. The software indentifies markers which can be used to track the recipient’s response to bone marrow transplant and the percentage donor chimerism for each post transplant sample received is reported.
Test |
Cost NZD* |
Sample Requirements |
Current TAT |
Chimerism analysis - work-up & first post transplant sample |
$350 | 3 ml of whole blood in EDTA (purple Top) from recipient pre-transplant 3 ml of whole blood in EDTA (purple Top) from donor |
1 week from receipt of each post-transplant sample |
Chimerism analysis - subsequent post transplant sample |
$200 | 3 ml of whole blood in EDTA (purple Top) from recipient post-transplant | 1 week from receipt of each post-transplant sample |