Evaluation of KIR-HLA genotypes in genetic risk for coronary artery disease in Palestinian population of Gaza strip

The visit will include two main components: The first component will include conducting a small research on one of the most common diseases throughout the world as a whole and among the Palestinian people in particular, which is the coronary artery disease (CAD).

The main goal of this research is to determine KIR and Class I HLA genotypes in a cohort of confirmed Palestinian CAD patients in comparison to normal individuals.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in general and coronary artery diseases (CAD) in particular are the leading cause of mortality worldwide.

As a multifactorial disease, vast genetic and nongenetic factors have been proposed to interplay in susceptibility to CAD.

Atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammation affecting both large and medium arteries, is underlying most cardiovascular diseases, including CAD.

It is mediated by a number of immune cells including the natural killer (NK) T cells, either directly through receptor-ligand interactions or indirectly through cytokine secretion.

The Killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) are expressed on the surface of NK cells and recognize specific motifs of HLA class I molecules.

The inherited diversity in the number and type of KIR-HLA pairs has been suggested to play a role in the individuals’ susceptibility to a number of complex diseases, including CAD.

The genotyping data will be analyzed in conjunction with different clinical data to elucidate the potential role of KIR-HLA pairs in conferring the individual susceptible to CAD. No previous data exists about the frequency of alleles, haplotypes or genotypes of KIR in the Palestinian population.

The prospective outcomes of the study will pave the way toward a better understanding of the pathophysiology of CAD, and provide tools for identification of susceptible individuals. Specific objectives: 1.

To determine the frequency of polymorphic KIR alleles and haplotypes in a cohort of Palestinian CAD patients and a normal control group. 2.

To determine the frequency of polymorphic class I HLA alleles and haplotypes in a cohort of Palestinian CAD patients and a normal control group. 3.

To investigate the role of those polymorphic alleles and haplotypes as well as the KIR-HLA pairs in risk of CAD in the study population. 4.

To collect personal and clinical data from the patient and their medical records and investigate the role of other modifiable and nonmodifiable risk factors for CAD in those patients.

As for the second component of the visit, I will be trained on the most important modern techniques used in tissue typing and crossmatching tests before and after organ transplantation.

These technologies will constitute an important tributary to enhance the my ability to undertake the task of operating the first tissue typing laboratory in the Gaza Strip, which is a task I am already responsible for in collaboration with Dr Abdul Hamad in the Royal Liverpool Hospital. This training will eventually support an independent clinical transplant program in Gaza strip.

This opportunity will allow all parties to work effectively together to create the scientific infrastructure required to enable safe transplantation in hospitals of the Gaza strip.