NSRHGV HGP
Research type
Research Study
Full title
RH variants in English Haemoglobinopathy patients; A nested study of the Haemoglobinopathy Genotyping Project to determine RH variant frequencies, the rate of alloimmunisation and the clinical significance of cognate antibodies.
IRAS ID
341834
Contact name
Tom Latham
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHSBT
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
In the UK 15,000 people have Sickle Cell Disorder (SCD). Many require blood transfusions to treat symptoms. Exposure to donor red cells can cause the patient to make antibodies to blood groups present in the donated blood that are absent from their own red blood cells. Production of antibodies in SCD patients can make it difficult to provide safe blood transfusions. Increased rates of antibody formation are associated with increased rates of morbidity and mortality, principally due to delays in providing best-matched blood.
There is increased genetic variation in a blood group system called RH in individuals of African descent compared to Europeans. Many SCD patients are of African descent and many blood donors are European. There is therefore a mismatch in RH blood groups between SCD patients and donors. Consequently, antibodies associated with the RH blood group system are more common in SCD patients.
It is known that some of these RH-antibodies are clinically significant i.e. once formed, red cells negative for the corresponding blood group must be provided to prevent haemolytic transfusion reactions. However, there is gathering evidence that the antibody made in patients with some RH variants is of lower or no clinical significance. This project aims to determine the frequency of specific RH variants in SCD patients, the frequency of RH-antibody production and the clinical significance of the RH-antibodies formed.
The number of SCD patients that have undergone detailed genetic analysis of RH blood groups in the UK is the largest in the world. This cohort provides the necessary scale to enable statistically significant evidence of the absence of a clinically significant correlation. If absence of clinical significance can be proven for certain RH-variants and their associated RH-antibody, then blood transfusion can occur without delay and patient outcomes will be improved.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/YH/0009
Date of REC Opinion
11 Aug 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion