Complement-Dependent Cytotoxicity Crossmatch

The complement-dependent cytotoxic crossmatch is an informative test that detects alloantibodies in pre- and post-transplant patients, which may dictate clinical management of transplant patients. While challenging to perform, the cytotoxic crossmatch represents the only assay that provides direct evidence for the presence of potentially pathologic (i.e., cytotoxic) alloantibodies. The cytotoxic crossmatch combines patient (recipient) serum and donor cells. If donor-reactive alloantibodies are present in patient serum, these antibodies can bind donor cells. Antibody-antigen complexes, in turn, can activate the complement cascade, leading to complement-mediated cytotoxicity. Two commonly performed cytotoxic crossmatches, using donor lymphocytes as target cells, are described.