The World Health Organization (WHO) has named four newly identified human leukocyte antigen ( HLA) alleles that will hopefully enhance the success rates of bone marrow transplants for leukemia patients.

The alleles, HLA-A*3308, HLA-B*1586, HLA-B*4061 and HLA-DRB1* 1212, were identified recently by transfusion specialists with the Zhejiang provincial blood center, said Prof. Yan Lixing, head of the research team based in the provincial capital Hanghzou, on Wednesday.

He said the finding has been reported in Tissue Antigen, an international authoritative journal on immunogenetics.

HLA is a kind of antigen of the white blood cells. Doctors rely on an HLA antigen system that gauges how well donated tissue matches the patient's immune system. The more HLA matches there are, the greater the success rate of transplants.

The new alleles will match more adequate types of bone marrow for leukemia and other fatal blood disease sufferers, for whom the best therapy available so far is bone marrow transplant.

In China, leukemia patients increase by 40,000 each year, and currently, there are more than 4 million patients waiting for bone marrow transplants.

The results of the Chinese scientists' research may also help organ transplant patients find ideal donors and help anthropologists study the migration of different ethnic communities in history.

Chinese scientists have so far identified more than 20 of all the 2,088 known alleles of HLA-A, B and DRB1, the absolute majority of which were discovered by Americans.

Prof. Yan's team alone has identified six HLA alleles, including two last September.

Source: Xinhua