Cytomark are pleased to announce the launch of their TransFix/EDTA CSF Sample Storage Tubes as CE marked in vitro diagnostic devices.
Below we present finding on the effect of TransFix on cerebrospinal fluid samples, when compared to untreated samples, and other commonly used stabilisation methods. For more information, please feel free to contact us.
Abstract
Many central nervous system (CNS) diseases such as inflammatory neurologic diseases, leukaemia, or autoimmune diseases, are associated with the presence of white blood cells in the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF). The detection of leukocyte subsets in CSF is of vital importance for the accurate diagnosis and treatment of such diseases. However, low cellularity and cell viability of leukocytes causes challenges when analysing CSF with flow cytometry, and it is recommended that native CSF samples are analysed within 1 hour of lumbar puncture (Kraan et. al. 2008, De Graaf et al. 2011, Korfel et al. 2016). This eliminates the possibility of multicentre studies and centralised diagnostics (Sedek et al. 2020) resulting in heterogeneity in interpretation of the results of clinical trials and difficulty in the homogenous management of affected patients (Del Principe et al. 2020). Various methods of preservation/stabilisation of CSF samples have been attempted but there is little data comparing their performances in preserving lymphoid and myeloid cells in CSF for flow cytometry assessment.
In this study, mock CSF (MAS-CSF spiked with PBMCs) was stabilised with TransFix/EDTA, basal RPMI and complete RPMI, and compared to untreated mock CSF to determine the most optimal stabilisation method. Samples were tested by flow cytometry at different time points over 3 days. Data showed that the TransFix treated samples provided consistent cell recovery for at least 72 hours after collection. Conversely, untreated, basal RPMI and complete RPMI samples exhibited a dramatic reduction in cell events compared to TransFix at all time points, including 0 hours (75.5, 83.0 and 47.8% reduction, respectively) and 0.5 hours (56.1, 73.3 and 35.3% reduction, respectively).
These data indicate that TransFix/ETDA CSF Sample Storage Tubes provide clear benefits over the use of untreated or RPMI stabilised samples and should be used for all CSF samples destined for flow cytometric analysis.
If you have any questions on the TransFix/EDTA CSF Sample Storage Tubes, please contact our team.
