Methods for detecting anti-porcine antibodies

A method of monitoring the risk of a subject developing a xenograft rejection response, wherein the subject has received a xenograft transplantation from a porcine donor, said method comprising:

• a) contacting a sample obtained from the subject shortly before the transplantation and two or more samples obtained from the subject at different time points after the transplantation with i) a test solid or semisolid support having immobilized thereon cell membranes isolated from one or more porcine cells, wherein the porcine cells are isolated from the porcine donor or another animal within the same breeding family, or ii) a test solid or semisolid support having immobilized thereon one or more Swine Leukocyte Antigens (SLA), and/or iii) a test solid or semisolid support having immobilized thereon one or more of galactose-α1,3-galactose (αGAL), N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc), and/or the SDa blood group (SDa);
• b) determining the amount of IgG and IgM antibodies bound to the test solid or semisolid support(s) for each of the samples used in step (a);
• c) comparing the antibody amounts determined in step (b), and
• d) determining that
• i) the subject has a decreased risk of developing a xenograft rejection response when the amount of IgG and IgM antibodies in the sample obtained at a later time point is lower than the amount of IgG and IgM antibodies in the sample obtained at an earlier time point and the sample obtained shortly before the transplantation;
• ii) the subject has an unchanged risk of developing a xenograft rejection response when the amount of IgG and IgM antibodies in the sample obtained at a later time point is the same as the amount of IgG and IgM antibodies in the sample obtained at an earlier time point and the sample obtained shortly before the transplantation, or
• iii) the subject has an increased risk of developing the xenograft rejection response when the amount of IgG and IgM antibodies in the sample obtained at a later time point is higher than the amount of IgG and IgM antibodies in the sample obtained at an earlier time point and the sample obtained shortly before the transplantation.

A method of selecting a porcine donor for xenograft transplantation for a subject in need thereof, said method comprising:

• a) contacting a sample obtained from the subject with a plurality of differentially labeled solid or semisolid supports, each support having immobilized thereon cell membranes isolated from one or more cells of a single porcine donor from a plurality of candidate porcine donors or another animal within the same breeding family;
• b) determining the amount of IgG and IgM antibodies bound to each of the differentially labeled solid or semisolid supports.
• c) comparing the amounts of IgG and IgM antibodies determined in step (b) between different solid or semisolid supports, and
• d) identifying a porcine donor for xenograft transplantation as the donor associated with the solid or semisolid support resulting in the lowest amount of IgG and IgM antibodies among the compared differentially labeled solid or semisolid supports.