Umbilical cord blood processing using Prepacyte-CB increases haematopoietic progenitor cell availability over conventional Hetastarch separation

Background:  Currently the most frequently used method for umbilical cord blood separation in many hospitals across the UK and the rest of the world, where small-to-medium amounts of samples are processed, is Hetastarch, a mechanical, starch-based method, which causes red cell agglutination by rouleaux formation. Aim:  In this study, a novel method (Prepa-Cyte-CB), in comparison with Hetastarch as part of an FDA-approved clinical study, was evaluated. Materials and Methods:  Validation of data included recovery of nucleated and CD34+ cells, red blood cell reduction, colony forming unit potential, flow cytometric analysis and sterility tests. Results:  PrepaCyte-CB, in comparison with Hetastarch offers fast, reliable separation with improved recovery of nucleated cells, 72.03% (±8.48 SD) compared to 58.09% (±20.06 SD), and CD34+ haematopoietic progenitor cells, 76% (±19.54 SD) compared to 64.19% (±29.77 SD). PrepaCyte-CB was also 12-fold more efficient in removing red blood cells and haemoglobin (P < 0.001) than Hetastarch. Conclusions:  These results show that PrepaCyte-CB offers superior separation of UCB when compared to Hetastarch.