Bloodchip®

a DNA microarray which greatly reduces the risk of adverse reactions due to incompatibility in blood groups between donor and receptor of a blood transfusion

Description
Serological techniques for the detection of blood groups have a limited capacity and do not allow the detection of 3% of existing incompatibilities, while DNA sequencing is comparably slow and costly. The commercial Bloodchip® detects the totality of blood group incompatibilities quickly and costs a twentieth of DNA sequencing. The technology allows the rapid detection of around 116 distinct DNA signatures associated with blood groups. Hybridization between the target DNA and allele-specific oligonucleotide probes attached to the microarray slide allows the discrimination of different alleles present in the donor’s or a receptor’s blood sample. The slide is scanned, quantified and analyzed to evaluate the compatibility between the donor and recipient.