The Second Histocompatibility Workshop

The Second Histocompatibility Testing Workshop, organized by J.J. van Rood, was held in Leiden, Netherlands in August of 1965 and brought together 71 participants with an interest in further extending knowledge of human leukocyte antigen systems. This workshop set the format for future workshops: the study of a well-characterized cell panel (provided by van Rood) by different laboratories using their own sera and their own techniques. The 1965 workshop also saw the introduction of the computer to permit rapid analysis of the complex results obtained from many serologic reactions. By analyzing both family and population data, it was shown that most of the antigens recognized in the workshop belonged to a single genetic system, for which there was still no standardized nomenclature. The workshop included a study of skin grafting experiments, and it was demonstrated by this method that the antigens being studied behaved as transplantation antigens.

Reference: Histocompatibility Testing 1965. Copenhagen: Munksgaard, 1965.