Bone marrow and/or peripheral blood can be used as a source of Hematopoietic Progenitor cells for autografts intended to permit and accelerate Hematopoietic recovery following high doses of cytotoxic therapy

Studies have shown that with peripheral blood as the source, such recovery appears to be comparable to that observed when autologous bone marrow is utilized — provided that an adequate number of progenitor cells are reinfused.

The American Red Cross Cellular Therapy Program allows the hospital and practicing physician to offer the most advanced technology without costly investment in staff, equipment and training for the hospital.

Services are available 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, but in cases of emergencies, can be scheduled during evenings, weekends and holidays.

The Red Cross Cellular Therapy Program offers:

• Consultation with Red Cross medical staff;
• Dedicated nursing staff experienced in blood component collection, apheresis, and IV management;
• Dedicated medical technologists experienced in blood banking, stem cell processing, and cryopreservation;
• State-of-the-art apheresis, stem cell processing, and cryopreservation equipment;
• Mobile apheresis equipment, allowing peripheral blood stem cell collection at any of several Red Cross sites, hospitals, or physician offices;
• Laboratories providing access to comprehensive services including quantitative assays, rate controlled freezing, and liquid nitrogen storage;
• Stem cell handling (labeling, tracking, transportation, processing, and storage at Red Cross facilities) in accordance with all current standards and regulations.

Storage
HPC products are initially quarantined and stored in vapor phase until infectious disease testing has been completed. If all are negative, products are then moved to LN2 storage where products are stored in the vapor phase of LN2 (-196° C). The LN2 storage units, refrigerators and freezers are all monitored 24 hours a day for temperature using the Central Alarm System. They are all connected to emergency power (generator power) in case of power failure.

Following the highest standards
The American Red Cross has implemented policies and procedures for the Cell Therapy Program that are designed to meet the guidelines and standards of the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Cell Therapy Program is accredited by FACT.

Terminology

• Liquid Nitrogen Storage: storage of frozen autologous bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells in the liquid phase of liquid nitrogen (-196?C), a temperature thought to optimize long-term viability of progenitor cells
  
• Colony Forming Unit (CFU) Assay: in vitro quantitative culture of hematopoietic progenitor cells from bone marrow, peripheral blood stem cell collection or peripheral blood.
  
• Flow Cytometric Assay: quantitation by flow cytometry of the subpopulation present in a peripheral blood, peripheral blood stem cell, or bone marrow specimen, expressing those antigens (e.g. CD34) felt to correlate with the capacity for Hematopoietic reconstitution.

For information call Betsy Moyer, MT(ASCP), Program Director, at (215) 451-4160.