HLA typing for family members
Available at no cost through NMDP℠ HLA Today
When you request family member human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing through NMDPSM HLA Today at the time of your patient's diagnosis, you'll know right away if your patient has a related donor match. This can help your hematology/oncology practice and the transplant center make treatment decisions.
How HLA typing for family members works
Your patient's HLA Today kit includes instructions on how to request family member HLA typing. First, you must return your patient's HLA Today buccal swab kit to NMDP in the pre-paid FedEx envelope. Then, you can request family member typing. All requests must come through the treating hematology/oncology practice; patients cannot directly contact NMDP to type their family members.
We'll send buccal swab kits directly to selected first-degree family members in the U.S., Mexico or Puerto Rico. The kit includes instructions for swabbing and returning the kit for HLA typing. Do not use patient HLA Today kits for family members.
You will receive an email with the typing results that is separate from the patient's HLA typing results requested through NMDP HLA Today. That's because the kit must be mailed to the family member and then returned to the lab for testing.
Please note:
- Family members typed by NMDP are not added to the NMDP RegistrySM
- Family member typing through HLA Today is not available for transplant centers
Selecting family members for HLA typing
Family member HLA typing is only available for the following first-degree relatives:
- Full siblings (highest likelihood of being a full match)
- Half siblings
- Biological parents
- Biological children
These family members are most likely to be selected by a transplant center as a fully matched or haploidentical related donor.
Hematopoietic stem cell donors must be in generally good health. They should not have chronic illnesses that are severe or not well-managed or have whole-body autoimmune diseases.
For more information about family member HLA typing, email our team at HLAToday@nmdp.org.
Get started with NMDP HLA Today
The first step in accessing family member HLA typing is to get started with NMDP HLA Today. Request free buccal swab kits from our team so you have them available for newly diagnosed patients.