Comprehensive flow cytometric reference intervals of leukocyte subsets from six study centers across Europe

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Clinical Diagnostics
• Flow Cytometry

Background:

• The Human Immunophenotyping Consortium (HIPC) provides standardized panels for cell analysis.
• Adapting HIPC panels for whole blood analysis facilitates clinical-diagnostic applications.
• Harmonization across platforms is crucial for reliable multi-center studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To adapt and validate Human Immunophenotyping Consortium (HIPC) panels for whole blood analysis in a clinical-diagnostic setting.
• To establish harmonized methods for analyzing major leukocyte populations across different European centers.
• To present baseline data on absolute and relative frequencies of leukocyte subpopulations in healthy volunteers.

Main Methods:

• Utilized four core panels (T/regulatory T cell/B/natural killer and myeloid cells) for leukocyte analysis.
• Employed whole blood analysis techniques across six different European centers.
• Analyzed data in a harmonized manner to ensure cross-platform comparability.

Main Results:

• Successfully adapted HIPC panels for whole blood analysis in a clinical-diagnostic context.
• Achieved harmonized analysis of major leukocyte populations across multiple European sites.
• Generated data on absolute and relative frequencies of leukocyte subpopulations from over 300 healthy volunteers.

Conclusions:

• The adapted HIPC panels provide a harmonized approach for leukocyte subpopulation analysis in clinical settings.
• This study establishes a valuable reference dataset for healthy individuals across European centers.
• The findings support the use of standardized immunophenotyping for clinical research and diagnostics.