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Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matching is done when doctors are trying to find bone marrow or cord blood matches for a patient that needs one or both of these things. HLA matching is not as simple as knowing a person needs cord blood or bone marrow and finding someone who is willing to donate, it's a very delicate process to ensure that there will not be any ill effects from the transplantation of either material into the patient in need.

HLA antigens are found on most cells in your body and your system uses these proteins or markers to recognize which cells belong in your body and which do not. If your donors HLA antigens are different from yours, your body will respond accordingly and attack those cells. A close HLA match needs to be found to decrease the chance that your immune cells will attack your donor's cells or that your donor's immune cells will attack your body after the transplant.

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14y ago

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