Evaluating Capture-R Techniques for use with Red Cell Eluates
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A study into the potential for solid phase Capture-R techniques to be used in the identification of blood group specific antibodies in red cell eluates
IRAS ID
153232
Contact name
Gary Mallinson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Department of Haematology, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Research summary
As part of routine transfusion practice hospital blood banks screen patient blood samples for the presence of atypical red cell antibodies. In certain clinical conditions, such as autoimmune haemolytic anaemia or haemolytic transfusion reactions, red cell antibodies can bind to a patient’s circulating red cells. It is clinically important in these cases to identify these antibodies and determine their specificity. To enable this, a process called an ‘elution’ is performed, which removes the antibodies from the red cell surface. The resulting solution – the eluate – can then be tested, and the specificity of any antibodies within it determined.
Antibody identification in eluates is currently performed by a manual method (Indirect Antiglobulin Test in DiaMed gel cards). The aim of this study is to compare the sensitivity and specificity of two automated methods to that of the manual method for the detection and identification of red cell antibodies in eluates. One of the automated methods (Capture-R Ready ID) is currently employed for routine antibody identification in blood plasma, and the second (Capture One-Step) is not currently employed by the Trust. If these methods are deemed comparable (or better) than the manual method they may be employed in the department in the future in an attempt to improve the accuracy of antibody identification in eluates and, thus, improve patient care.
For this study, red cells from blood samples will be coated with red cell antibodies of known specificity, taken from routine transfusion samples. The antibodies will then be eluted from the red cells, and the ability of the three methods to detect and correctly identify these antibodies compared. The aim is to perform 100 investigations including all clinically significant antibodies and common antibody combinations from a variety of blood group systems (eg. ABO, Rh, Kell, Duffy, etc).
REC name
South Central - Oxford C Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/SC/1142
Date of REC Opinion
9 Jul 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion