An Automated Cell Preparation Method For FlowCARE™ Pan-Leukocyte Gating (PLG) CD4 Assay in a 96-Well Plate Offers Increased Throughput and Ease of Use

The measurement of CD4+ cells in HIV-infected patients has evolved into a routine and high volume test in flow cytometry. CD4+ cell enumeration is measured with differing combinations of monoclonal antibodies, balancing performance with cost. A good balance is the PLG CD4 assay, using two monoclonal antibodies: anti-CD45 for resolving leukocytes and anti-CD4 for enumerating CD4+ cells. The current PLG assay is semi-automated and allows for a maximum of 32 blood samples in tubes to be processed in a batch. This poster presents a modified FlowCARE™ PLG CD4 assay so that the addition of blood, antibodies, lysing, quenching, fixation reagents, and Flow-Count™ fluorospheres is performed in 96-well plates by an automated cell preparation system CellMek™.