Effect of storage time on peripheral blood mononuclear cell isolation from blood collected in vacutainer CPT™ tubes

Background: Clinical trials of novel therapies for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) may benefit from immune cell profiling, however implementation of this methodology is limited in the multicenter trial setting by necessity of timely (within 6 to 8 h) isolation and processing of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from whole blood samples. Becton Dickinson Vacutainer CPT™ Cell Preparation Tubes (CPT™) limit required processing prior to shipping to a central lab to an initial centrifugation step within 24 h of sample collection. As shipping may delay final processing beyond 24 h, we analyzed cell viability and T cell composition in whole blood stored in CPT™ to determine if their use may accommodate processing delays typical for multicenter clinical trials.