Pathology

Immunogenetics (UIC)

Immunogenetic Samples
Immunogenetic Samples in Machine

About Us

The UCLA Immunogenetics Center (UIC) provides state-of-the-art Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics testing for solid organ and stem cell transplantation, pre- and post-transplant immune assessment and testing for diagnosis of diseases with associations to the Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA). As one of the first established laboratories in Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics, we continue to advance the field through research, clinical innovation, proficiency testing and educational training. UIC provides customized testing and support services for clinical trials and clinical research to monitor response to experimental therapy.

The UIC is a nationally recognized reference laboratory for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics testing and is licensed by the States of California, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, and is CMS certified and accredited by the American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI).

Goals and Mission

  • Leading Through Quality: Provide the highest standard of Immunogenetics, Histocompatibility and Transplantation Immunology testing and interpretation to the patients we serve.
  • Leading Through Research: Advance the understanding of Immunogenetics and Transplantation Immunology through innovative basic and clinical research.
  • Leading Through Development: Be the forefront of development of new technologies and reference materials to improve the quality of patient care.
  • Leading Through Training: Training the next generation of leaders in Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics to navigate the complexities of testing and research in Transplantation Immunology.

Current Events

We are proud to share that the UCLA Immunogenetics Center was mentioned in the recent Frontiers in Genetics editorial, “Proficiency Testing in Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics: Current Status and Future Perspectives,” co-authored by Dr. Kelley M. K. Hitchman from UT Health San Antonio and Dr. Martin Petrek from Palacký University Olomouc, Czechia. The editorial highlights the UCLA Cell Exchange Program as one of the three major proficiency testing programs in the U.S., recognized internationally for its longstanding contribution to the field. The UCLA Exchange Program has played a vital role in global proficiency testing for HLA typing, antibody analysis, and crossmatching since 1974.

Read all about our amazing program and check out our website for more information!

Recent Publications

  • Vantair N, Leising M, Najor M, Juma Y, Kwon DH, Kallakury B, Gilbert A, Verbesey JE, Rodrigo ME, Sheikh FH, Ali A, Renteria A, Cooper M, Rosen-Bronson S, Timofeeva OA. Predicting the success of antibody removal with therapeutic plasma exchange: The role of serum dilutions. Am J Transplant. 2025 Jul
  • Pickering H, Sen S, Cappelletti M, Lum EL, Bunnapradist S, Reed EF, Schaenman JM. TIM3 and TIGIT-expressing CD4 T cells are impacted by kidney transplantation and associated with risk of infection. Front Immunol. 2025 May
  • Zhang Q, Elsheikh NE, Hickey MJ, Butler C, Sosa R, Choi SM, Timofeeva O, Huang Y, Shaikh S, Gandhi M, Chen LX, Perez R, Goussous N, Alexopoulos S, Sageshima J, Reed EF. Preventing hyperacute rejection in a deceased donor kidney transplant recipient. Hum Immunol. 2025 May
  • Cho PD, White JP, Kim ST, Zappacosta H, McKay S, Kim HJ, Abramov A, Daniel M, Biniwale R, Sayah D, Gjertson D, Ardehali A. Early outcomes of lung transplantation under the composite allocation score system. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2025 May
  • Sun Y, Sen S, Parmar R, Arakawa-Hoyt J, Cappelletti M, Rossetti M, Gjertson DW, Sigdel TK, Sarwal MM, Schaenman JM, Bunnapradist S, Lanier LL, Pickering H, Reed EF. Cytotoxic KLRG1+ IL-7R- effector CD8+ T cells distinguish kidney transplant recipients controlling cytomegalovirus reactivation. Front Immunol. 2025 Feb
  • Pickering H, Schaenman J, Phan HV, Maguire C, Tsitsiklis A, Rouphael N, Higuita NIA, Atkinson MA, Brakenridge S, Fung M, Messer W; IMPACC Network; Salehi-Rad R, Altman MC, Becker PM, Bosinger SE, Eckalbar W, Hoch A, Doni Jayavelu N, Kim-Schulze S, Jenkins M, Kleinstein SH, Krammer F, Maecker HT, Ozonoff A, Diray-Arce J, Shaw A, Baden L, Levy O, Reed EF, Langelier CR. Host-microbe multiomic profiling identifies distinct COVID-19 immune dysregulation in solid organ transplant recipients. Nat Commun. 2025 Jan
  • Schinstock C, Gebel H, Habal M, Heidt S, Hickey MJ, Kosmoliaptsis V, Mannon R, Meneghini M, Mengel M, Morris A, Naesens M, Reed EF, Thaunat O, Valenzuela N, Wiebe C, Tambur A. Sensitization in Organ Transplantation Assessment of Risk (STAR): 2025 Meeting Group Report. Am J Transplant. 2025
  • Butler CL, Hickey MJ, Sosa RA, Reed EF. "Non-HLA Antibodies". Manual of Molecular and Clinical Laboratory Immunology (9th Edition, pp. 1280-1290).  2024 Nov
  • Choi SM, Muramoto J, Hickey MJ, Butler CL, Valenzuela N, Sosa RA, Lum E, Veale J, Reed EF, Kogut N, Zhang QJ. Chimerism and Tolerance after Combined Kidney and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant. J Allergy Clin Immunol. Volume 153, Issue 2, Supplement, AB259. 2024 Feb
  • Sosa RA, Ahn R, Li F, Terry AQ, Qian Z, Bhat A, Sen S, Naini BV, Ito T, Kaldas FM, Hoffmann A, Busuttil RW, Kupiec-Weglinski JW, Gjertson DW, Reed EF. Myeloid spatial and transcriptional molecular signature of ischemia-reperfusion injury in human liver transplantation. Hepatol Commun. 2024 Jan