Cord blood banking: volume reduction using "Procord" Terumo filter.

Area of Science:

• Hematology
• Cellular Therapy
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Cord blood (CB) banking is crucial for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
• Challenges include cryopreservation, storage, ABO incompatibility, and cell loss during processing.
• Efficient processing methods are needed to maximize viable cell recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of the Procord system for processing fresh and cryopreserved cord blood.
• To assess cell yields, including nucleated cells (NC) and CD34+ progenitor cells, and cell depletions.
• To compare Procord processing with existing methods.

Main Methods:

• Processing of 16 fresh and 7 previously frozen cord blood units using the Procord system.
• Quantification of nucleated cells (NC), CD34+ cells, and CFU-GM progenitor cells.
• Analysis of erythrocyte, granulocyte, and platelet depletion.
• Determination of final product volume and cell recovery rates.

Main Results:

• Procord achieved significant erythrocyte (97%) and platelet (93%) depletion in fresh CB.
• Mean yields for fresh CB were 54% NC, 75% CD34+, and 171% CFU-GM in 20 ml.
• Frozen CB processing showed 98% red blood cell depletion and 53% CD34+ recovery.

Conclusions:

• The Procord system is an effective method for erythrocyte depletion of cord blood.
• Cell recoveries for NC and progenitor cells are comparable to other processing techniques.
• As with all current methods, Procord processing results in some degree of cell and progenitor cell loss.