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A Semi-automated Approach to Preparing Antibody Cocktails for Immunophenotypic Analysis of Human Peripheral Blood
Published on: February 8, 2016
Quality control of flow cytometric immunophenotyping of haematological malignancies
J W Gratama1, R L Bolhuis, M B Van 't Veer
1Department of Clinical and Tumor Immunology, University Hospital, Daniel den Hoed Cancer Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Insights
Accurate immunophenotyping for hematological malignancies requires stringent quality control. This ensures reliable diagnostic results through careful instrument calibration, sample preparation, and data analysis.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Clinical Immunology
- Laboratory Medicine
Background:
- Immunophenotyping is crucial for diagnosing hematological malignancies but is technically complex.
- Accurate diagnosis relies on integrating flow cytometry data with clinical and morphological information.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline essential internal quality control measures for reliable immunophenotyping.
- To emphasize the importance of external quality assurance programs in validating results.
Main Methods:
- Detailed discussion of quality control for instrument setup and calibration.
- Methodological considerations for sample preparation and monoclonal antibody panel validation.
- Standardized procedures for flow cytometric data acquisition, analysis, and interpretation.
Main Results:
- Implementation of robust internal quality control is necessary for consistent results.
- External quality assurance programs provide objective validation of laboratory performance.
Conclusions:
- Standardized quality control protocols are vital for accurate immunophenotyping of hematological malignancies.
- Continuous quality assessment ensures the clinical utility and reliability of diagnostic flow cytometry.
Abstract:
Immunophenotyping of haematological malignancies has developed as a clinically valuable but technically complicated diagnostic procedure. It involves a variety of methodological features, in-process strategic judgements and an extensive knowledge of clinical, morphological and other laboratory features of the disease processes under study. We discuss the various internal quality control steps necessary to guarantee reliable results with respect to instrument set-up and calibration; sample preparation; selection and validation of monoclonal antibody panels; and flow cytometric data acquisition, analysis and interpretation of results. The quality of the entire procedure is documented by the analysis of representative specimens in the setting of an external quality assurance programme.
