Transplant genetics and genomics

Ever since the discovery of the major histocompatibility complex, scientific and clinical understanding in the field of transplantation has been advanced through genetic and genomic studies. Candidate-gene approaches and recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have enabled a deeper understanding of the complex interplay of the donor-recipient interactions that lead to transplant tolerance or rejection. Genetic analysis in transplantation, when linked to demographic and clinical outcomes, has the potential to drive personalized medicine by enabling individualized risk stratification and immunosuppression through the identification of variants associated with immune-mediated complications, post-transplant disease or alterations in drug-metabolizing genes.