Cell processing protocol for allogeneic peripheral blood stem cells mobilized by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.

Although there is a growing body of information available regarding restoration of hematopoiesis with peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) autografts, few studies have explored this procedure using allografts. In this study with healthy donors, we investigated the feasibility of a protocol for mobilizing PBSC using recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and subsequent bulk depletion of T cells from apheresis-harvested cells. Nine informed healthy donors were given G-CSF subcutaneously at two different dosing schedules (5 micrograms/kg/d in five donors and 2 micrograms/kg/d in four) for 5 consecutive days, and serial changes in blood components, including hematopoietic progenitor cells, were monitored. After 5 days of stimulation with G-CSF, PBSCs were collected by apheresis, and yields were compared. The number of white blood cells (WBC) reached a plateau level on either day 2 (5 micrograms) or 3 (2 micrograms), but the numbers of red blood cells and platelets were not affected. Circulating colony-forming unit-granulocyte/macrophage (CFU-GM) levels started to increase 1 or 2 days after the increase in the WBC count. By performing a 3L apheresis, the number of CFU-GM harvested was 4.6 +/- 3.3 x 10(6) (mean +/- standard error of the mean [SEM]) in the 5-micrograms group and 1.8 +/- 0.7 x 10(6) in the 2-micrograms group. Different procedures for depleting T cells, including the use of L-phenylalanine methyl ester (PME) and flasks coated with anti-CD5/CD8 monoclonal antibodies or neuraminidase-treated sheep red blood cells (SRBC), were also tested on the harvested cells. We found that cell lysis with PME before selective removal of T cells was very effective in reducing the number of cells that required further processing and was suitable for routine use. However, our current procedure resulted in unsatisfactory depletion of T cells (99.5% removal) while retaining hematopoietic progenitor cells (7.5% recovery). Further research is required in this area.