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Cai Y, Prochazkova M, Kim YS, Jiang C, Ma J, Moses L, Martin K, Pham V, Zhang N, Highfill SL, Somerville RP, Stroncek DF, Jin P. Assessment and comparison of viability assays for cellular products. Cytotherapy 2024; 26:201-209. [PMID: 38085197 PMCID: PMC10872314 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2023.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AIMS Accurate assessment of cell viability is crucial in cellular product manufacturing, yet selecting the appropriate viability assay presents challenges due to various factors. This study compares and evaluates different viability assays on fresh and cryopreserved cellular products, including peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) apheresis products, purified PBMCs and cultured chimeric antigen receptor and T-cell receptor-engineered T-cell products. METHODS Viability assays, including manual Trypan Blue exclusion, flow cytometry-based assays using 7-aminoactinomycin D (7-AAD) or propidium iodide (PI) direct staining or cell surface marker staining in conjunction with 7-AAD, Cellometer (Nexcelom Bioscience LLC, Lawrence, MA, USA) Acridine Orange/PI staining and Vi-CELL BLU Cell Viability Analyzer (Beckman Coulter, Inc, Brea, CA, USA), were evaluated. A viability standard was established using live and dead cell mixtures to assess the accuracy of these assays. Furthermore, precision assessment was conducted to determine the reproducibility of the viability assays. Additionally, the viability of individual cell populations from cryopreserved PBSC and PBMC apheresis products was examined. RESULTS All methods provided accurate viability measurements and generated consistent and reproducible viability data. The assessed viability assays were demonstrated to be reliable alternatives when evaluating the viability of fresh cellular products. However, cryopreserved products exhibited variability among the tested assays. Additionally, analyzing the viability of each subset of the cryopreserved PBSC and PBMC apheresis products revealed that T cells and granulocytes were more susceptible to the freeze-thaw process, showing decreased viability. CONCLUSIONS The study demonstrates the importance of careful assay selection, validation and standardization, particularly for assessing the viability of cryopreserved products. Given the complexity of cellular products, choosing a fit-for-purpose viability assay is essential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihua Cai
- Center for Cellular Engineering, Department of Transfusion Medicine, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Michaela Prochazkova
- Center for Cellular Engineering, Department of Transfusion Medicine, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Yong-Soo Kim
- Center for Cellular Engineering, Department of Transfusion Medicine, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Chunjie Jiang
- Center for Cellular Engineering, Department of Transfusion Medicine, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Jinxia Ma
- Center for Cellular Engineering, Department of Transfusion Medicine, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Larry Moses
- Center for Cellular Engineering, Department of Transfusion Medicine, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Kathryn Martin
- Center for Cellular Engineering, Department of Transfusion Medicine, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Victoria Pham
- Center for Cellular Engineering, Department of Transfusion Medicine, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Nan Zhang
- Center for Cellular Engineering, Department of Transfusion Medicine, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Steven L Highfill
- Center for Cellular Engineering, Department of Transfusion Medicine, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Robert P Somerville
- Center for Cellular Engineering, Department of Transfusion Medicine, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - David F Stroncek
- Center for Cellular Engineering, Department of Transfusion Medicine, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Ping Jin
- Center for Cellular Engineering, Department of Transfusion Medicine, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
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Zhang J, Yin Z, Liang Z, Bai Y, Zhang T, Yang J, Li X, Xue L. Impacts of cryopreservation on phenotype and functionality of mononuclear cells in peripheral blood and ascites. J Transl Int Med 2024; 12:51-63. [PMID: 38525442 PMCID: PMC10956725 DOI: 10.2478/jtim-2023-0136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Mononuclear cells in peripheral blood and ascites are important clinical resources commonly used in translational and basic research. However, the impact of different cryopreservation durations and extra freeze-thaw cycles on the number and function of mononuclear cells is unknown. Methods Peripheral blood samples (n = 21) and ascites samples (n = 8) were collected from healthy volunteers and ovarian cancer patients. Mononuclear cells were isolated, frozen, and thawed at 6 and 12 months. The impact of cryopreservation on cell viability, the phenotype, and the activation and proliferation of T cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. Single-cell sequencing was applied to investigate the underlying mechanism. Results The cell number and viability of mononuclear cells in peripheral blood and ascites were significantly decreased after cryopreservation. The T lymphocytes, especially CD4+ T cells, were affected the most significantly. By contrast, monocytes, natural killer (NK) cells, natural killer T (NKT) cells, and B cells were more tolerant. Meanwhile, T cell proliferation and IL-2 secretion are significantly affected after long-term cryopreservation. Mechanistically, the cell death induced by elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) was involved in the reduction of CD4+ T cells after cryopreservation. Conclusions Our data indicates that different subtypes of mononuclear cells exhibit different tolerance capacities upon cryopreservation. Thus, our research can provide evidence and support for individuals who are conducting experiments using frozen clinical patient-derived mononuclear cells, for basic research or clinical trials. In addition, extra caution is worthwhile when researchers compare immune cell functionality from peripheral blood or ascites across datasets obtained in different cryopreservation conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhang
- Center of Basic Medical Research, Institute of Medical Innovation and Research, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
- Biobank, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Zhongnan Yin
- Center of Basic Medical Research, Institute of Medical Innovation and Research, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
- Biobank, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Zhaoyuan Liang
- Center of Basic Medical Research, Institute of Medical Innovation and Research, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yang Bai
- Center of Basic Medical Research, Institute of Medical Innovation and Research, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Ting Zhang
- Center of Basic Medical Research, Institute of Medical Innovation and Research, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
- Biobank, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jianling Yang
- Center of Basic Medical Research, Institute of Medical Innovation and Research, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xianlong Li
- Center of Basic Medical Research, Institute of Medical Innovation and Research, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Lixiang Xue
- Center of Basic Medical Research, Institute of Medical Innovation and Research, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
- Biobank, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
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Chew K, Lee B, Ozonoff A, Smith JA, Levy O, Dowling DJ, Van Haren S. A protocol for high-throughput screening for immunomodulatory compounds using human primary cells. STAR Protoc 2023; 4:102405. [PMID: 37453068 PMCID: PMC10365952 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
High-throughput screening is a powerful platform that can rapidly provide valuable cytotoxic, immunological, and phenotypical information for thousands of compounds. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) cultured in autologous plasma can model the human immune response. Here, we describe a protocol to stimulate PBMCs for 72 h and measure cytokine secretion via AlphaLISA assays and cell surface activation marker expression via flow cytometry. Cryopreserved PBMCs are incubated for 72 h with various small molecule libraries and the supernatants are harvested to rapidly measure secretion levels of key cytokines (tumor necrosis factor alpha, interferon gamma, interleukin 10) via the AlphaLISA assay. Almost simultaneously, the cells can be fixated and stained using antibodies against innate immune activation markers (CD80, CD86, HLA-DR, OX40) for analysis via flow cytometry. This multiplexed readout workflow can directly aid in the phenotypic identification and discovery of novel immunomodulators and potential vaccine adjuvant candidates. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Chew et al.1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Chew
- Precision Vaccines Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Branden Lee
- Precision Vaccines Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Al Ozonoff
- Precision Vaccines Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jennifer A Smith
- ICCB-Longwood Screening Facility, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ofer Levy
- Precision Vaccines Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - David J Dowling
- Precision Vaccines Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Simon Van Haren
- Precision Vaccines Program, Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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Bacon B, Repin M, Shuryak I, Wu HC, Santella RM, Terry MB, Brenner DJ, Turner HC. High-throughput measurement of double strand break global repair phenotype in peripheral blood mononuclear cells after long-term cryopreservation. Cytometry A 2023; 103:575-583. [PMID: 36823754 PMCID: PMC10680149 DOI: 10.1002/cyto.a.24725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are a useful model for biochemical assays, particularly for etiological studies. We describe here a method for measuring DNA repair capacity (DRC) in archival cryogenically preserved PBMCs. To model DRC, we measured γ-H2AX repair kinetics in thawed PBMCs after irradiation with 3 Gy gamma rays. Time-dependent fluorescently labeled γ-H2AX levels were measured at five time points from 1 to 20 h, yielding an estimate of global DRC repair kinetics as well as a measure of unrepaired double strand breaks at 20 h. While γ-H2AX levels are traditionally measured by either microscopy or flow-cytometry, we developed a protocol for imaging flow cytometry (IFC) that combines the detailed information of microscopy with the statistical power of flow methods. The visual imaging component of the IFC allows for monitoring aspects such as cellular health and apoptosis as well as fluorescence localization of the γ-H2AX signal, which ensures the power and significance of this technique. Application of a machine-learning based image classification improved flow cytometry fluorescent measurements by identifying apoptotic cells unable to undergo DNA repair. We present here DRC repair parameters from 18 frozen archival PBMCs and 28 fresh blood samples collected from a demographically diverse cohort of women measured in a high-throughput IFC format. This thaw method and assay can be used alone or in conjunction with other assays to measure etiological phenotypes in cryogenic biobanks of PBMCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bezalel Bacon
- Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, (NY)
| | - Mikhail Repin
- Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, (NY)
| | - Igor Shuryak
- Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, (NY)
| | - Hui-Chen Wu
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York
- Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
| | - Regina M. Santella
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York
- Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
| | - Mary Beth Terry
- Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, Irving Medical Center, New York
| | - David J. Brenner
- Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, (NY)
| | - Helen C. Turner
- Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, (NY)
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Quantifying the Detrimental Effects of Multiple Freeze/Thaw Cycles on Primary Human Lymphocyte Survival and Function. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 24:ijms24010634. [PMID: 36614075 PMCID: PMC9820337 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells is common in biological research. It is widely accepted that primary cells are rendered unusable by several freezing cycles, although this practice might be very helpful when the biological material is valuable and its re-collection is impractical. To determine the extent to which primary cells undergoing repeated freezing cycles are comparable to one another and to fresh samples, we evaluated overall lymphocyte viability, their proliferation and cytokine production capabilities, as well as the levels of 27 cell subtypes in ten human peripheral blood mononuclear cells frozen for five years and repeatedly thawed. As expected, we observed a progressive increase in cell death percentages on three rounds of thawing, but the frequency of the main lymphocyte subsets was stable across the three thawings. Nevertheless, we observed a significant reduction of B cell frequency in frozen samples compared to fresh ones. On repeated thawings and subsequent conventional stimulation, lymphocyte proliferation significantly decreased, and IL-10, IL-6, GM-CSF, IFN-gamma, and IL-8 showed a trend to lower values.
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Comparative flow cytometry-based immunophenotyping analysis of peripheral blood leukocytes before and after fixation with paraformaldehyde. J Immunol Methods 2022; 511:113379. [PMID: 36279962 DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2022.113379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Flow cytometry based immunophenotyping provides prime insight into cellular population composition and characteristics, and is widely used in basic and clinical research. Challenges in processing peripheral blood samples in a timely manner necessitate protocol adaptations and utilization of fixatives. Fixation, however, may introduce artifacts to the flow cytometry readout. We performed a comparative flow cytometry immunophenotyping analysis of 13 immune cell populations in the whole blood using a staining protocol with and without fixation step. Freshly procured human peripheral blood samples were stained with a panel of 33 fluorochrome-conjugated antibodies. Samples were processed using a protocol with or without a paraformaldehyde-based fixation step, and matching sample pairs were analyzed by flow cytometry. Our results show that paraformaldehyde-based fixation, in comparison to matched unfixed samples, did not significantly affect population distribution and frequency for: B cells, Plasmablasts, Dendritic cells, NK cells, Granulocytes, Neutrophils, Eosinophils, or Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cells. However, fixation led to significant marker shifts in the subpopulation distribution in CD4, T regulatory, CD8, Monocytes, and Basophils. These results indicate the importance of pre-experimental assessment of fixation-introduced artifacts in the flow cytometry output when considering the feasibility of fresh processing. This is especially important for samples analyzed using comprehensive exploratory immunoprofiling panels.
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Hsiao CHC, Wiemer AJ. Generation of effector Vγ9Vδ2 T cells and evaluation of their response to phosphoantigen-loaded cells. STAR Protoc 2022; 3:101422. [PMID: 35677612 PMCID: PMC9168146 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2022.101422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Vγ9Vδ2 T cells are non-canonical T cells that use their T cell receptor to detect phosphoantigens bound to the internal domain of the HMBPP receptor (butyrophilin 3/2A1 complex). This protocol describes the expansion and purification of human effector Vγ9Vδ2 T cells from human buffy coat and describes how to assess their activation by antigen-containing target cells. While specifically focused on cytokine production, this protocol can be readily adapted to evaluate other effector functions of activated Vγ9Vδ2 T cells. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Hsiao et al. (2022) and Hsiao and Wiemer (2018).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrew J. Wiemer
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
- Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
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Li B, Yang C, Jia G, Liu Y, Wang N, Yang F, Su R, Shang Y, Han Y. Comprehensive evaluation of the effects of long-term cryopreservation on peripheral blood mononuclear cells using flow cytometry. BMC Immunol 2022; 23:30. [PMID: 35672664 PMCID: PMC9175382 DOI: 10.1186/s12865-022-00505-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) originate from hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow, which mainly includes lymphocytes (T cells, B cells, and natural killer cells) and monocytes. Cryopreserved PBMCs providing biobank resources are crucial for clinical application or scientific research. Here, we used flow cytometry to explore the influence of long-term cryopreservation on the quality of PBMCs with the aim of providing important evidence for the effective utilization of biobank resources. The PBMCs were isolated from the peripheral blood, which was collected from volunteers in the hospital. After long-term cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen, we analyzed the changes in cell numbers, viability, and multiple subtypes of PBMCs and studied the apoptosis, proliferation, activation, function, and status of T cells in comparison with freshly isolated PBMCs by flow cytometry, and then further tracked the effects of long-term cryopreservation on the same sample. Although the different cell types in the PBMCs dynamically changed compared with those in the freshly isolated samples, PBMC recovery and viability remained stable after long-term cryopreservation, and the number of most innate immune cells (e.g., monocytes and B cells) was significantly reduced compared to that of the freshly isolated PBMCs or long-term cryopreserved PBMCs; more importantly, the proportion of T cell subtypes, apoptosis, proliferation, and functional T cells, except for Tregs, were not affected by long-term cryopreservation. However, the proportions of activated T, naïve T, central memory T, effector T, and effector memory T cells dynamically changed after long-term cryopreservation. This article provides important evidence for the effective utilization of biobank resources. Long-term cryopreserved PBMCs can be partly used as biological resources for clinical research or basic studies, but the effect of cryopreservation on PBMCs should be considered when selecting cell samples, especially in research relating to activating or inhibiting function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Li
- National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases and Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Chunmei Yang
- National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases and Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Gui Jia
- National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases and Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Yansheng Liu
- National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases and Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Na Wang
- National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases and Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Fangfang Yang
- National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases and Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Rui Su
- National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases and Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China
| | - Yulong Shang
- National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases and Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China.
| | - Ying Han
- National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases and Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032, China.
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