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A continuous flow, magnetic separation method has been proposed to isolate large numbers of cells for clinical and biotechnological applications. The separation system, based on the quadrupole magnet flow sorter, has been tested on magnetically labeled, human blood progenitor cells using monoclonal antibody against the cluster of differentiation 34 (CD34) molecule and a magnetic colloid. A small volume of the cell suspension was injected into the sorter at variable volumetric flow rates, and the resulting cell elution profiles were analyzed for cell recovery in the magnetically enriched and depleted cell fractions. Independently, the cell motion in the magnetic field has been analyzed using a novel technique of cell tracking velocimetry, which allowed the determination of cell magnetophoretic mobility. A mathematical model of the cell motion inside the quadrupole flow sorter was used to calculate the recovery of the sorted fractions based on the cell magnetophoretic mobility distribution. A comparison of experimental and theoretical data allowed the verification of assumptions underlying the magnetic cell separation process, and provided guidelines for engineering design of the magnetic flow sorter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed the outcomes of 248 (61% male) adult recipients of HLA-matched unrelated and HLA-mismatched related donor hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) after reduced or lower intensity conditioning (RIC), reported to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) from 1997 to 2004. Median age was 52 (range: 18-72 years); 31% had a Karnofsky performance score <90. Follicular NHL (43%) was the major histology. Incidence of grades II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) was 43% at 100 days; and chronic GVHD (cGVHD) was 44% at 3 years. Treatment-related mortality (TRM) at 100 days was 24%. Three-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were 41% and 32%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, use of antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and HLA mismatch were associated with increased TRM. High-grade histology, ATG use, and chemotherapy resistance were associated with lower PFS. Older age, shorter interval from diagnosis to HCT, non–total body irridiation (TBI) conditioning regimens, ex vivo T cell depletion, and HLA-mismatched unrelated donors were associated with mortality. GVHD did not influence relapse or PFS. Older age, aggressive histology, and chemotherapy resistance correlated with poorer survival. For selected patients with NHL, lack of an available sibling donor should not be a barrier to allogeneic HCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]