A Questionnaire Survey of Quality Control of Flow Cytometry in Korea and Development of New Quality-Control Materials

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: There are few commercial quality-control (QC) materials for internal QC of flow cytometric analysis, especially for leukemia/lymphoma immunophenotyping. The purpose of this study was to investigate the current QC status of flow cytometry in Korea through a questionnaire survey, and develop new QC materials using cultured cell lines for markers which QC materials are unavailable. METHODS: The current state of internal QC of flow cytometry in Korea was investigated via a questionnaire survey. Cell lines to be used as QC materials were cultured and produced as QC materials. Cell viability and the expression of markers on the cultured cell lines were tested by flow cytometry to confirm the stability of the QC materials. Simulated quality assessment results for the cultured cell line QC materials were sent to laboratories for external proficiency testing (PT). RESULTS: Seventeen medical institutions completed the questionnaire survey. Hematopoietic stem cell count (CD34) and lymphocyte subset panel items in most of these institutions were managed using commercialized QC materials. The markers that could not be managed by QC materials were CD117, MPO (myeloperoxidase), TdT (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase), CD20, CD10, CD64, CD79α, FMC7, cytoCD22, CD23, CD34, and CD61. Five cell lines expressing these markers were selected and sent as QC materials. PT results for most of the markers were in concordance, except those for FMC7 and CD64. CONCLUSIONS: For the QC control of flow cytometry without commercialized QC materials, cultured cell lines are useful and can be used as an alternative for management of reagents used in flow cytometric analysis.