Identification of a new HLA-DPB1*04:01:01:173 allele in the Polish population during the HLA Typing Quality Control Workshop for Central and Eastern European Countries

The HLA Typing Quality Control Workshop for Central and Eastern European Countries, attended by a total of 72 centres from 15 countries, has been organised by Prof. Katarzyna Bogunia-Kubik since 1999. As Chair of Region 5 (Central Europe) within the European Federation of Immunogenetics (EFI) External Quality Control Committee, Prof. Bogunia-Kubik oversees the standardisation of transplant diagnostics in Poland and Europe. The Tissue Immunology Laboratory Team at the IIET PAS Medical Centre, which supports this activity, is the only unit in Poland with EFI accreditation in the field of organ and haematopoietic cell transplantation.

In 2025, during the 32nd round of the HLA Typing Quality Control Workshops, the presence of a new HLA-DPB1 allele was detected in a sample taken from a healthy Polish blood donor. The tests were carried out using next-generation sequencing technology.

The new HLA sequence was registered under the number HWS10102952. In May 2026, the WHO Nomenclature Committee for the HLA System officially named the sequence: HLA-DPB1*04:01:01:173. The newly identified allele will be included in the next WHO nomenclature report.