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Quinn Peters M, Domenjo-Vila E, Carlson M, Armistead B, Edlefsen PT, Gasper M, Dabee S, Whidbey C, Jaspan HB, Prlic M, Harrington WE. A non-invasive method to sample immune cells in the lower female genital tract using menstrual discs. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.11.16.567469. [PMID: 38370684 PMCID: PMC10871271 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.16.567469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
T cells in the human female genital tract (FGT) 2 are key mediators of susceptibility to and protection from infection, including HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. There is a critical need for increased understanding of the distribution and activation of T cell populations in the FGT, but current sampling methods require a healthcare provider and are expensive, limiting the ability to study these populations longitudinally. To address these challenges, we have developed a method to sample immune cells from the FGT utilizing disposable menstrual discs which are non-invasive, self-applied, and low-cost. To demonstrate reproducibility, we sampled the cervicovaginal fluid (CVF) 3 of healthy, reproductive-aged individuals using menstrual discs over three sequential days. CVF was processed for cervicovaginal cells, and high parameter flow cytometry was used to characterize immune populations. We identified large numbers of live, CD45+ leukocytes, as well as distinct populations of T cells and B cells. Within the T cell compartment, activation and suppression status of T cell subsets were consistent with previous studies of the FGT utilizing current approaches, including identification of both tissue resident and migratory populations. In addition, the T cell population structure was highly conserved across days within individuals but divergent across individuals. Our approach to sample immune cells in the FGT with menstrual discs will decrease barriers to participation and empower longitudinal sampling in future research studies.
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Peters MQ, Domenjo-Vila E, Carlson M, Armistead B, Edlefsen PT, Gasper M, Dabee S, Whidbey C, Jaspan HB, Prlic M, Harrington WE. A Noninvasive Method to Sample Immune Cells in the Lower Female Genital Tract Using Menstrual Discs. Immunohorizons 2024; 8:182-192. [PMID: 38386594 PMCID: PMC10916362 DOI: 10.4049/immunohorizons.2300105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
T cells in the human female genital tract (FGT) are key mediators of susceptibility to and protection from infection, including HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. There is a critical need for increased understanding of the distribution and activation of T cell populations in the FGT, but current sampling methods require a healthcare provider and are expensive, limiting the ability to study these populations longitudinally. To address these challenges, we have developed a method to sample immune cells from the FGT utilizing disposable menstrual discs which are noninvasive, self-applied, and low in cost. To demonstrate reproducibility, we sampled the cervicovaginal fluid of healthy, reproductive-aged individuals using menstrual discs across 3 sequential days. Cervicovaginal fluid was processed for cervicovaginal cells, and high-parameter flow cytometry was used to characterize immune populations. We identified large numbers of live, CD45+ leukocytes, as well as distinct populations of T cells and B cells. Within the T cell compartment, activation and suppression status of T cell subsets were consistent with previous studies of the FGT utilizing current approaches, including identification of both tissue-resident and migratory populations. In addition, the T cell population structure was highly conserved across days within individuals but divergent across individuals. Our approach to sample immune cells in the FGT with menstrual discs will decrease barriers to participation and empower longitudinal sampling in future research studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Quinn Peters
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA
| | - Eva Domenjo-Vila
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA
| | - Marc Carlson
- Research Scientific Computing, Enterprise Analytics, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA
| | - Blair Armistead
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA
| | - Paul T. Edlefsen
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA
| | - Melanie Gasper
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA
| | - Smritee Dabee
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA
| | | | - Heather B. Jaspan
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Martin Prlic
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Department of Immunology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Whitney E. Harrington
- Center for Global Infectious Disease Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
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