Direct agglutination of weak D red cells by tetramolecular complexes containing monoclonal IgG anti-D.

The capacity of blood group antibodies to agglutinate red cells suspended in saline is largely dependent on the antibody isotype. The immunological cross-linking of IgG antibodies has previously been described as a means to increase the reactivity of IgG in many situations. We have prepared anti-D-containing complexes by blending a human IgG anti-D monoclonal antibody (mAb) and a murine anti-human IgG mAb. In standard red cell serology assays, the anti-D complexes exhibited a very high avidity and could agglutinate weak D-positive red cells in direct saline testing. These results indicate that potent saline hem-agglutinating reagents of RhD and eventually of other blood group specificities can be prepared from IgG mAbs.