Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Clinical and Chemical Pathology

Hematopoietic stem cells have demonstrated tremendous human therapeutic potential. Thus the ability to preserve stem cells for long-term periods is critical for their use in clinical and research applications. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of long-term storage on PB stem cells, and assessment of cryopreservation effect on parameters measured both pre- and post-storage. In this study 30 archived cryopreserved stem cell samples stored for 12-17 years (median 16 years) which had been collected from 27 patients with different malignancies for autologous PBSC transplantation; were assessed for total cell count, cell viability and the ability of these cells to recover by measuring their clonogenic potential in short term culture. Recovery of the total count and cell viability did not significantly change over time. The study showed that Stem cell products (SCPs) harvested from PB do deteriorate with long-term storage but could maintain their clonogenic capacity, yet the median colony forming cell unit CFC/kg body weight was below the optimum threshold doses suggested for successful rapid engraftment. So practically the use of these SCPs will remain controversial and caution should be exercised when considering the use of stem cells that have been stored for very long periods of time.

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