The organization is shortening its testing window for organ transplants to meet new emergency policies from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.
The National Kidney Registry (NKR) announced it is prepared to support a new emergency policy from the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) requiring kidney transplant centers to shorten the serology testing window to seven days for HIV and seasonal West Nile Virus.
The NKR will begin operating under the new seven-day process on Aug. 10, 2026, one week before the OPTN policy becomes effective on Aug. 17, 2026. The registry is also extending the shorter timelines to all 23 serology tests and the final crossmatch testing.
“NKR places the highest priority on patient safety and the speed of patients receiving their needed kidney, and we’ve been coordinating thousands of expedited serology tests across 100+ hospitals for years,” says Garet Hil, CEO of National Kidney Registry, in a release. “Not only are we ready for these new OPTN requirements, but we are also extending the tighter OPTN timelines to all 23 serology tests as well as the final crossmatch testing.”
Impact on Transplant Centers
The current turnaround time for serology testing at the NKR is approximately two days. According to the organization, this speed allows transplant centers to meet the new requirements without putting scheduled surgeries at risk.
The NKR has already started receiving requests from member centers to use its serology testing services for direct donation transplants not facilitated by the registry. The organization has provided these services for several years.
The ability to provide fast turnaround testing for both NKR-facilitated and non-NKR transplants provides a single platform solution for these tests, according to the registry. The organization aims to increase the quality, speed, and number of living donor transplants.
The NKR facilitates approximately 30% of all living donor kidney transplants performed annually in the US, according to a release from the organization.
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