Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 19, 2025
14:06
Isolation of Precursor B-cell Subsets from Umbilical Cord Blood
Published on: April 16, 2013
18.1K
Single laboratory evaluation of umbilical cord blood units processing methodologies for banking
Francisco F Dos Santos1, Letícia Nunes1, Cátia Martins1
1Stemlab, FamiCord Group, Cantanhede, Portugal.
Laboratory Medicine
|August 11, 2023
Summary
The manual hydroxyethyl starch (HES) method for processing umbilical cord blood (UCB) offers superior total nucleated cell recovery and red blood cell reduction compared to automated systems. HES is a cost-effective and efficient option for UCB banking.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Cellular Processing
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Umbilical cord blood (UCB) processing is crucial for stem cell therapies.
- Evaluating the long-term efficiency of different UCB processing methods is essential for optimizing clinical applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficiency of three UCB processing methods: Sepax, AutoXpress (AXP), and manual processing with hydroxyethyl starch (HES) sedimentation.
- To assess the performance of these methods over a 10-year period at Stemlab.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective analysis of historical data from Stemlab was conducted.
- Analytical results from Sepax, AXP, and manual HES processing were compared.
Main Results:
- Manual HES processing achieved the highest total nucleated cell recovery.
- The AutoXpress (AXP) system yielded the highest CD34+ cell count.
- HES processing demonstrated significantly higher red blood cell reduction and comparable results to Toticyte technology for UCB processing.
Conclusions:
- The HES method is as effective as automated technologies for UCB volume reduction, making it suitable for public and private UCB banks.
- HES processing showed superiority over Toticyte technology for medical applications, with higher post-thaw total nucleated cell recovery and equivalent CD34+ cell recovery and functionality.
