Evaluation of volumetric capillary cytometry (VCC), a novel method for quantitation of CD34+ hematopoietic cells, was evaluated in comparison with standard flow cytometric (FC) methods. Results of CD34+ cell quantitation in a dilution series were linear for both VCC and FC. In a field sample evaluation of 40 peripheral bloods and 26 leukapheresis products, there was a high degree of correlation between VCC and FC. Results of this study are being prepared for publication. This methodology will be further evaluated with a new capillary configuration (plastic, with larger volume) on samples of peripheral blood, leukapheresis collections, bone marrow, and umbilical cord blood. These studies will allow assessment of the accuracy, precision, and overall utility of the VCC methodology as a potential substitute for FC for some assays in the increasingly standardized, quality-controlled environment of cell processing.
