Stem cell monitor aids clinical decision-making

Edited by the Laboratorytalk editorial team Mar 18, 2005

Analyser uses fluorescence flow cytometry to accurately measure the extended differential cell counts of patient blood samples, and provides reportable HPC counts with improved precision and accuracy

Newly introduced to Sysmex UK's XE-2100 master plan, the HPC Master identifies and counts haematopoietic progenitor cells on the XE-2100 automated haematology analyser.

The XE-2100 analyser uses fluorescence flow cytometry to accurately measure the extended differential cell counts of patient blood samples.

Combining software and hardware, the HPC Master additionally provides reportable HPC counts with improved precision and accuracy in addition to the routine blood count.

With no preparatory steps or batching required, the HPC count is performed quickly and provides the results in just 40 seconds.

An early HPC count can assist early clinical decision-making for patients with haematological malignancies undergoing autologous peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation.

During this process, stem cells are taken from the patient's peripheral blood before they undergo chemotherapy, and then frozen and returned after treatment.

This helps to replace platelet-producing stem cells in the bone marrow that are killed as a side effect of chemotherapy.

Cells expressing the protein CD34 are counted prior to stem cell harvesting for transplantation, as CD34 is a critical marker for haematopoietic stem cells.

The availability of the HPC count on the XE-2100 can help reduce the number of costly CD34 counts required and critically help determine the optimal time for the count to be performed prior to stem cell harvesting.

A low HPC count of <10/ml predicts low probability of adequate CD34 counts being obtained, as there is a correlation in patient samples measured on the XE-2100 between the HPC population and CD34+ cells.

The HPC count therefore acts a guide for further flow cytometric CD34+ measurements, and includes some other early blood cells that are negative for the CD34 marker.