Evaluating Novel Whole Blood Preservation Methods as Alternatives to PBMC for Immunophenotyping in Multicenter Clinical Trials

This study evaluates three whole blood preservation products—CryoStor CS10, Cytodelics, and Smart Tube—as alternatives to PBMC for immunophenotyping in multicenter clinical trials. Using a 26-color spectral flow cytometry panel, results showed CryoStor CS10 provided the most comparable performance to PBMC. Cytodelics and Smart Tube demonstrated greater variability, likely due to fixatives. The findings support CryoStor as a viable substitute for PBMC, with consideration for donor variability and the need for antibody re-titration with fixative-based products.