Dear Dr. Silla,
Most CD34+ cell selection for clinical transplantation is being done by
means other than flow cytometry -- avidin-biotin affinity chromatography
with anti-CD34 antibody (CellPro's Ceprate column), or immunomagnetic
methods (magnetic beads coated with anti-CD34 antibodies, such as Baxter's
Isolex instrument, or Amgen's AmCell device). =20
The only company performing CD34 selection by flow cytometry for clinical
transplantation, to my knowledge, is Systemix, which uses a high-speed flow
cytometer. They can be found on the web at http://www.stem.com/.
Other than commercial operations, there are some trials underway at
university medical centers involving flow-sorted CD34+ cells for transplant.
The CD34+ cells typically are selected by a method other than flow, and then
flow cytometry is used to select a CD34+ subpopulation. Here at University
of Minnesota, for example, we are involved in a trial of CD34+, HLA-DR- cell
transplantation. The CD34+ cells are selected using CellPro's Ceprate
device, and then are further purified to isolate CD34+, HLA-DR- cells. This
population undergoes retroviral marking and expansion in culture before
infusion into the patient. The principal investigator for this protocol is
Catherine Verfaillie, and processing is performed in the Cell Therapy
Laboratory.
Hope this helps you.
Scott
***************************************************************
Scott R. Burger, M.D.
Medical Director, Cell Therapy Laboratory
Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology
University of Minnesota
burge009@gold.tc.umn.edu
612-626-4919
612-624-5411 (Fax)