Our understanding of transplant immunology has advanced from gross allograft rejection to cellular response and to current molecular level. More sensitive assays have been developed to characterize patient sensitization and to detect pre-existing donor-specific antibodies (DSA) in pre-transplant crossmatch. After a transplant, pre-existing or de novo DSA are increasingly monitored to guide clinical management. Therefore, it is important for clinicians to understand the basic concepts and key components of transplant immunology as well as be familiarized with the modern immunological techniques used in kidney transplantation.
Keywords: Alloimmune response; Co-stimulation pathway; Crossmatch; Donor specific antibody; Human leukocyte antigens; Major histocompatibility complex; Non-human leukocyte antigens antibody; Panel reactive antibody.