INTERLABORATORY DATA EXCHANGE ON THE BASIS OF THE VIRTUAL DNA ANALYSIS FORMAT: CONCEPT OF A EUROPEAN DNA EXCHANGE 98.
W. Helmberg°, G.Lanzer°, R. Zahn+, B. Weinmayr°, T. Wagner°, E. Albert⁺, °Transfusionmedicine, Universityclinics, Graz, Austria, ⁺Laboratory for Immunogenetics, LMU Munich, Germany.


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Comparison of genotyping of DNA samples is commonly performed by comparing the interpretation of the respective typing reactivities. Due to differently updated allele databases, to incorrect interpretation or overinterpretation of the acquired data the same actual typing pattern can be interpreted in different ways. Therefore the labs participating in the DNA exchange 98 will be asked to report their typing as virtual DNA instead of the respective interpretation. As a prerequisite, participating labs will be equipped with a software based on the principle of Virtual DNA Analysis (Helmberg et al, Tissue Antigens, in press). This approach allows the combination of SSP, SSP and SBT results. The use of all types of test kits will be allowed without any limitations, as long as a basic sequence information of used SSO's or SSP's is available, which has to correspond to the detected motive on the sample DNA. To avoid redundant input of typing kits and SSO's-SSP's a kind of common SSO-SSP registry will be created. The respective sequence data will be updated until the point of the start of the DNA exchange. Data of new batches during the time of actual testing can be imported and exported among the different labs. Report of the typings will be performed by the transfer of the actual SSO-SSP and, if performed, SBT information on the sample. The interpretation of these data will be possible for each single lab on an individual basis as well as in a comprehensive way which includes all collected typing results. The DNA exchange 98 starts in June and will be finished in September.