Comparison of two high-throughput platforms for red blood cell and platelet antigens genotyping

Background Red blood cells (RBC) and platelet (PLT) antigens genotyping is a useful tool applied to solve complex immunohaematologic cases, perform alloimmunization prophylaxis and search for rare blood donors. There are different high-throughput platforms available for RBC and PLT genotyping, which differ in terms of comprised antigens, length of reaction, result interpretation and cost. The objective of this study was to compare the performance of two high-throughput platforms designed for RBC and PLT genotyping: OpenArray (customized Real-time platform) and BLOODchip (Luminex technology). Materials and Methods Blood samples of 242 blood donors were simultaneously tested using OpenArray and BLOODchip (ID-Core XT and ID-HPA XT) platforms. The methodologies were compared in terms of accuracy, duration of reaction, percentage of no-calls, number of samples processed per reaction and interpretation software. The designed OpenArray assay comprised 37 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) encoding 31 RBC antigens and six PLT antigens, while the BLOODchip comprised 29 SNPs encoding erythrocyte antigens (ID -Core XT) and 12 SNPs encoding PLT antigens (ID-HPA XT). Results The OpenArray accuracy was 99·93%, and BLOODchip accuracy, 100%. The percentage of no-calls did not differ between the methodologies. OpenArray was less time-consuming when performing both RBC and PLT genotyping, whereas BLOODchip presented proper software for results interpretation and allowed the evaluation of individuals samples per reaction. Conclusion Both OpenArray and BLOODchip methodologies are accurate and suitable for RBC and PLT genotyping. The choice between the platforms relies on the service genotyping goals.