Flow Cytometric Crossmatch (FCXM)

Cleaner samples help to support donor cell acceptance

How Curiox Can Help

Prevent cross contamination
Enable high-resolution HLA typing
Attain cleaner, higher quality data

Flow cytometric crossmatch (FCXM) is used primarily in transplantation medicine to assess the compatibility between a donor and a recipient. It is a highly sensitive method that detects antibodies in the recipient’s blood that may react negatively towards the donor’s cells, potentially leading to graft rejection.

This flow cytometry-based method provides a sensitive and quantitative measure of antibody binding. It identifies pre-formed antibodies in the recipient and is essential for evaluating compatibility for organ transplantation.

With FCXM, either T or B cells are isolated from the donor’s blood, and serum is collected from the recipient. The donor lymphocytes are incubated with the recipient’s serum allowing antibodies to bind to the donor cells. Fluorescently labeled secondary antibodies that bind to human immunoglobulins (IgG) are added. These secondary antibodies attach to recipient antibodies that have been bound to donor cells. This mixture is then analyzed by flow cytometry.

Benefits of FCXM include:

High sensitivity. More sensitive than traditional crossmatch methods such as Complement-Dependent Cytotoxicity (CDC) crossmatch
Quantitative data. Precise quantification of antibody binding
Reduced risk of rejection. Helps identify incompatible pairs

FCXM requires specialized equipment and expertise in flow cytometry. It can sometimes yield false-positive or false-negative results, and therefore requires careful interpretation and confirmation with other tests.

How Curiox Can Help

By preventing cross-contamination and safely handling blood-borne pathogens, automated sample preparation by Curiox C-FREE and Curiox Laminar Wash technologies enable high-resolution HLA typing. This streamlined workflow results in cleaner, higher quality data.

The Laminar Washer is safer than flicking (minimal exposure to infectious materials) and requires less space than centrifuges. Our samples are fragile and prone to cell death, but this system promotes cell viability and stability, and has proven consistency at low cell counts producing reliable and reproducible results while also preventing cross-contamination of samples.

Blanca Ponce-Ngo
Organization