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Updated: Aug 12, 2026
08:08
Isolation and Activation of Murine Lymphocytes
Published on: October 30, 2016
Shipment impairs lymphocyte proliferative responses to microbial antigens
R A Betensky1, E Connick, J Devers
1Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology
|September 6, 2000
Summary
Shipping lymphocyte proliferation assays (LPAs) significantly reduces T-lymphocyte function activity. This impacts accuracy for immunodeficiency disorder testing and multicenter trials.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Clinical Diagnostics
Background:
- Lymphocyte proliferation assays (LPAs) are crucial for evaluating T-lymphocyte function in immunodeficiency disorders.
- Clinical sites often lack specialized expertise, necessitating specimen shipment to central laboratories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of shipping on the performance and reliability of LPAs.
- To identify potential biases introduced in multicenter studies due to specimen transport.
Main Methods:
- A large-scale, multicenter study was designed to evaluate LPA performance.
- Specimens were shipped from various clinical sites to central laboratories for analysis.
Main Results:
- Significant reductions in LPA activity were observed after specimen shipping.
- Shipping demonstrably affected the reliability of T-lymphocyte function assessment.
Conclusions:
- Specimen shipping can lead to erroneous results in individual patient assessments.
- The observed loss of LPA activity poses a risk of bias in multicenter clinical trials.
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