Recovery of CFU-C after freezing of normal and leukemic human bone marrow.

Studies have been carried out to determine the viability of leukemic and normal human bone marrow, cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen at -196 degrees C, using changes in total cell numbers and granulocyte colony forming ability in vitro. These studies have shown that there is considerable variability in the recovery of CFU-C from individual specimens. When the overall recovery, in all patients, is taken into account, there is a gradual decline in CFU-C numbers to about 60% after 24 months of freezing. CFU-C recovery is closely correlated with recovery of total cell numbers.