# Clinical Significance of MHC Haplotypes in HCT

> **NIH NIH R01** · FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER RESEARCH CENTER · 2021 · $227,652

## Abstract

Survival rates after hematopoietic cell transplantation depend on the ancestry of the patient. Patients of
African-American heritage have lower overall rates of survival after transplantation compared to patients of
other backgrounds. The underlying immunobiological factors that contribute to survivorship disparities in
transplantation are not known. We recently discovered that patients whose inherited germlines encode certain
amino acid substitutions in the HLA-DRβ protein are at high-risk of mortality; these DRβ proteins are found at
highest frequency in African American populations, and provide a basis for understanding the role of germline
variation as factors for clinical outcome. We propose that the extended high and low-risk HLA haplotypes
encode undetected variation that contributes to survivorship disparities. The specific aims are to: define the
content and phase of coding and non-coding regions of HLA class I and III genes; determine the impact of
coding and non-coding variation on gene expression; determine the clinical significance of class I and III genes
and haplotypes in HCT, and determine the risks associated with HLA mismatching. This proposal will fill the
knowledge gap in the immunobiological basis of survivorship disparities in transplantation. The information will
increase the safety, efficacy and availability of transplantation for all patients in need of this life-saving therapy.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10248324
- **Project number:** 5R01CA100019-19
- **Recipient organization:** FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER RESEARCH CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Effie W Petersdorf
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $227,652
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2003-03-01 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10248324

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10248324, Clinical Significance of MHC Haplotypes in HCT (5R01CA100019-19). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10248324. Licensed CC0.

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