[HLA typing of donor corneas with extended post mortem time].

In case of high-risk patients cornea transplantation should be carried out using HLA-matched donor corneas to minimize the risk of rejection. HLA typing using blood lymphocytes of the donor is impossible because of the long post-mortem times. Alternatively, HLA typing can be performed using retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Nevertheless, this method is limited by increasing post-mortem times. The aim of the present study was the optimization of culture conditions for RPE cells isolated from donor eyes with long post-mortem times. The HLA type should be evaluated during an acceptable period of organ preservation of the corresponding cornea. In different steps the method for isolation of the cells was optimized and a growth medium for RPE cells was established. Various supplements, including uvea-conditioned medium, were assessed using growth assays. The optimization of culture conditions led to an increase in the estimation of the complete HLA I and HLA II antigens from 36% to 74%. The time needed for the typing-procedure could be reduced from 38 to 17 days (average). At present 30% of the donor tissue with long post-mortem times can be typed in less than 14 days.