Temperature fluctuations during deep temperature cryopreservation reduce PBMC recovery, viability and T-cell function

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Cryobiology
• Biobanking

Background:

• Cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are essential for evaluating immune-based therapies.
• Standardized cryopreservation is needed for reproducible results in multicenter trials.
• Suboptimal storage conditions can compromise cell viability and functionality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a storage approach minimizing temperature fluctuations.
• To assess the impact of temperature fluctuations on PBMC viability, recovery, and T-cell function.
• To compare a protective hood system against standard handling during cryopreservation.

Main Methods:

• Comparison of PBMC storage with and without temperature fluctuations.
• Utilizing a protective hood system to mitigate temperature rises during sample handling.
• Assessing cell viability, recovery rates, and antigen-specific T-cell responses.

Main Results:

• Cyclical temperature shifts significantly reduce PBMC viability, recovery, and immune response.
• The protective hood system maintained cell viability and recovery comparable to stable storage.
• T-cell functionality was considerably increased when using the protective hood system.

Conclusions:

• Temperature fluctuations during cryopreservation negatively impact PBMC integrity and function.
• A protective hood system effectively preserves PBMC quality for immunological assays.
• Optimal sample storage conditions are critical for reliable clinical vaccine trial outcomes.