Summary
One of the first groups in Lithuania, according to the cur rent con cept de fin able as Clinical immunology laboratory, was established in 1969 at Vilnius University Heart Surgery Clinic. This group of immunolo gists had been working since the very beginning of organ transplantation in Lithuania, and had provided a foundation for transplantation immunology in the country. Influence of HLA matching and sensitisation on kidney transplantation outcomes, post-transplant monitoring, HLA and disease associations, HLA antigen distribution in the ethnic groups of Lithuania were the main topics of early research. In 1978, new staff for routine testing in kidney transplantation had joined the group, and in 1987 the first Lithuanian laboratory for HIV testing and immunode ficiency diagnostics was established. The following tests and test groups for the transplantation programs are currently being per formed at the laboratory: tissue typing (serology and PCR), cross-matching (serology and flow cytometry), provided on the round the clock basis for organ (e.g., kidney, kidney-pancreas complex, heart, liver), and sensitisation testing (serology and Luminex). Do nor search for allotrans - plantation of haemato poietic stem cells during 26 years (1987–2013) pe riod was also provided by immunologists, and the organization of Lithuanian Bone Mar row Do nor Regstry was started in year 2004 by this group as well. Flow cytometry analysis is being provided from 1991 and used for pre-transplant recipient- donor crossmatching and post- transplant immune status monitoring, as well as for HLA-B27 typing, immunological studies on bronchoalve olar lavage fluid.
