A safe procedure for transporting bone-marrow for purging in a central laboratory

A central facility for ex vivo removal of neuroblastoma cells from bone marrow, to be used for autologous reinfusion after myeloablative treatment, was established and a study was designed to compare the survival time and the rate of bone marrow engraftment between local marrows obtained and processed at the University of Florida (UF) and marrow transported for purging from out of state, participating Pediatric Oncology Group (FOG) centers. Marrow harvest from patients either at UF or at participating centers, was done under a similar protocol. Marrows from participating centers were transported by air, to UF and purged using the immunomagnetic technique. The purged marrows were returned in liquid nitrogen for reinfusion before myeloablative treatment. Marrows were purged between 1985 to 1992 from 169 POG patients, of whom 164 were evaluable for this study (UF 29 and 135 transported). Statistical analysis of survival time and engraftment rate found no significant differences in survival time (p=0.2463) and engraftment rate (0.3259) between marrows shipped from other institutions to marrows harvested and processed at UF.