Comparison of two methodologies for the enrichment of mononuclear cells from thawed cord blood products: The automated Sepax system versus the manual Ficoll method.

Background Aims: Umbilical cord blood (CB) is being used as a source of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and immune cells to treat many disorders. Because these cells are present in low numbers in CB, investigators have developed strategies to expand HSCs and other immune cells such as natural killer (NK) cells. The initial step in this process is to enrich mononuclear cells (MNCs) while depleting unwanted cells.