Applications of Flow Cytometry in Transplant Medicine

Flow cytometry is crucial in the field of transplant medicine. Early identification of antibody-mediated rejection is a crucial obstacle to overcome for successful organ transplantation. Flow cytometry, utilising both traditional and innovative methods, has successfully addressed several obstacles in transplant medicine, including the identification of donor-reactive antibodies and the detection of HLA alloantibodies. This chapter provides a comprehensive analysis of the several uses of flow cytometry in the field of transplant medicine. Flow cytometry in transplant medicine has expanded beyond studying specific immune cell subsets. It is now used extensively to monitor the immune response to organ transplants, including investigating the relationship between clinical outcomes and immune responses in transplant recipients, tracking the depletion and reconstitution of peripheral blood mononuclear cells after immune response suppression, and managing various opportunistic viral infections. The various flow cytometry techniques including flow cytometry crossmatch, multiparametric immunophenotyping, polychromatic flow cytometry, use of CMV antigen-specific T cells, etc. have its role in pre- and posttransplantation phases of organ transplant medicine.