Asia-Pacific Hisctocompatibility and Immunogenetics Association (APHIA)

The science of human histocompatibility testing had its birth in 1958 when the great French scientist Jean Dausset published data on the first human leukocyte specificity MAC-1, the discovery of which earned him the Nobel Prize. This discovery resulted in a large number of laboratories setting up white cell antibody detection assays. It soon became evident that the leukocyte antigen system under investigation was the human equivalent of the mouse H-2 system and therefore would be of prime importance in transplantation immunology. The need for standardization of techniques and nomenclature led to the first international workshop held in Durham North Carolina and organized by Bernard Amos in 1964. One of the scientists from our region at that first workshop was Bill Boyle from Melbourne who is often overlooked when we discuss the early days of HLA as he gained an international reputation as a basic immunologist with an interest in transplantation but working primarily in mice.