title: Evaluation of peripheral blood stem cell quality in products transported by traditional courier or commercial overnight shipping services.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) products have traditionally been transported from the collection center to a transplant center using validated volunteer courier-based procedures. Evolving airline service strategies and security policies have complicated this model of product transport. This study was designed to evaluate the feasibility of transporting PBSC products using commercial overnight shipping services, while maintaining product quality, compared to courier-transported products.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five PBSC products were collected from healthy volunteer donors and divided to evaluate product quality when transported either by volunteer courier or by commercial overnight shipping service. Products were evaluated on the day of collection and at 24, 48, and 72 hours postcollection for total nucleated cell (TNC) count, cell viability, progenitor cell numbers, and progenitor cell lineage growth potential (colony-forming units [CFUs]) to assess product composition and quality associated with each cohort.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No delivery delays were encountered and all products were received intact. Measurements of product composition and quality demonstrated no differences in TNC count (p=0.893), cell viability (p=0.409), CD34+ progenitor cell content (p=0.509), or CFU-granulocyte-macrophage growth potential (p=0.827).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found no difference in product viability, progenitor cell content, or product potency in PBSC products transported either by volunteer courier or by commercial overnight shipping.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunobiology & Observational Research, Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.forename: Pintip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chitphakdithai
authors.forename: Edmund K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Waller
authors.forename: Wayne
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: Hilary
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rosenthal
authors.forename: Wanda
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: Navneet
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Majhail
authors.forename: Willis
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Navarro
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Waldvogel
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lisy
authors.forename: Jeff
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Uecker
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Stephen R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Spellman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001793:Blood Preservation / Q000379:methods*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D036102:Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology