Thermo Fisher Scientific Launches Organ Transplant Matching Advancements During ASHI 2021

ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 30, 2021 -- ASHI 2021 -- At the annual meeting for the American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI) this week, Thermo Fisher Scientific announced two new additions to its transplant diagnostics portfolio. These new products will enable transplant laboratories to better characterize samples and bring speed and confidence to the transplant laboratory. More than 100,000 adults are now on a waiting list for a kidney and 7,500 more await a donated heart, highlighting the need for new technologies that enable better, faster donor–recipient matching.

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) proteins are expressed on all nucleated cells in the human body and are also found on the surface of many other tissues and organs. Candidates for organ transplant are routinely screened for the presence of antibodies directed against non-self HLA, and results are used to identify compatible donors. The presence of donor-specific HLA antibodies usually precludes transplantation.

A new serum treatment reagent is designed to address nonspecific antibody reactivity in some samples. This novel solution was developed in collaboration with scientists from Terasaki Innovation Center and is expected to be available later this year.

"Some samples demonstrate nonspecific antibody reactivity," said Sam Ho, director of the Histocompatibility and Infectious Disease Testing Laboratory at Gift of Hope Organ & Tissue Donor Network. "This new reagent may enable us to identify specific reactivity with greater clarity, improving our ability to determine immunologic risk at all stages of the transplant patient journey."

Also announced at ASHI was a rapid next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay that will provide high-resolution data in five hours, reducing the time it currently takes to characterize the HLA genes in solid organs from deceased donors using NGS. Developed for use on the Oxford Nanopore platform, the new assay will improve time-to-results and confidence in decision-making. The assay is among significant investments Thermo Fisher is making in NGS, including its own portfolio of Ion Torrent NGS solutions for a wide range of applications. 

"The provision of deceased donor HLA typing at the allelic level within a clinically relevant timeframe will have a tremendous impact on the transplant outcomes of some of the most immunologically challenging patients awaiting a donated organ," said Nicole Brockway, president, transplant diagnostics at Thermo Fisher.

For more information on these and other innovations across the transplant diagnostics portfolio from Thermo Fisher, visit https://www.onelambda.com.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue of approximately $35 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, improving patient diagnostics and therapies or increasing productivity in their laboratories, we are here to support them. Our global team of more than 90,000 colleagues delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services and Patheon. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com.

Use of forward-looking statements

This release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are based on our expectations as of the date of this release and may differ materially from actual future events or results. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in any forward-looking statements are (i) our ability to further develop and commercialize our instruments and consumables, including the new serum treatment and a rapid next-generation sequencing assay, and to deploy new products, services and applications, and expand the markets for our technology platforms; (ii) our ability to manufacture robust instrumentation and consumables; (iii) our ability to successfully identify and integrate acquired technologies, products or businesses; (iv) the future conduct and growth of the business and the markets in which we operate, particularly in light of the uncertainties associated with COVID-19; and (v) challenges inherent in developing, manufacturing, and launching new products and services, together with other factors detailed in Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.'s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the most recent filings on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, or in information disclosed in public conference calls, the date and time of which are released beforehand. We undertake no obligation, and do not intend, to update these forward-looking statements, to review or confirm analysts' expectations, or to provide interim reports or updates on the progress of the current quarter.