HLA

American  

Immunology.

1. human leukocyte antigen: any of a complex of genetically determined antigens, occurring on the surface of almost every human cell, by which one person's cells can be distinguished from another's and the histocompatibility and genetic likeness of any two persons can be established: the major histocompatibility antigen of humans.

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Etymology

Origin of HLA

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

“In 2024, voters approved measure HLA by a two-thirds margin. It requires the city must follow its own mobility plan … to make roads safer for cyclists, for pedestrians, for better transit.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2026

“Measure HLA does not apply when non-city entities, public or private, carry out their own projects in the City’s streets,” L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2025

HLA requires the city add wider sidewalks, bike lanes and make other improvements it recommended in its mobility plan every time the streets are repaved.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2024

These keratinocytes were engineered to express a specific variant of the HLA gene called HLA-B*57:01, which specifically bind to the antiviral drug abacavir.

From Science Daily • May 15, 2024

Most human groups are a scattershot mix of HLA profiles, which means that almost always some people in the group will not get sick when exposed to a particular pathogen.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann