Storage characteristics of cord blood progenitor cells: report of a multicenter study by the cellular therapies team of the Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion (BEST) Collaborative.

Background: Most hematopoietic progenitor cell (HPC) products are infused or processed shortly after collection, but in some cases this may be delayed for up to 48 hours. A number of variables such as temperature and cell concentration are of critical importance for the integrity of HPCs during this time.

Study Design And Methods: We evaluated critical variables using cord blood HPC units that were divided equally and stored at 4 °C versus room temperature (RT) for up to 96 hours.