초록 ▼

The invention provides a method of enumerating the number of cells of a cell type in a cell sample by (a) counting the white blood cells in the cell sample to obtain the white blood cell population of the sample; (b) determining the proportion or percentage of the cells of the cell type in the white

The invention provides a method of enumerating the number of cells of a cell type in a cell sample by (a) counting the white blood cells in the cell sample to obtain the white blood cell population of the sample; (b) determining the proportion or percentage of the cells of the cell type in the white blood cell population in the sample; and (c) calculating the number of cells of the cell type in the sample. The cell type may be a lymphocyte sub-set selected from the group comprising CD4+ lymphocytes, CD 45 cells, CD19 cells, CD16 and CD56 positive cells, CD8 cells, CD3 cells or any combination thereof. The method is particularly useful in monitoring the immune status of a patient infected with HIV or other immune deficiency state or disease or condition where CD4+ lymphocytes or CD4+ T cells are monitored or counted.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A method of enumerating the number of CD4+ lymphocytes in a cell sample, comprising: a) determining the absolute number of CD45+ white blood cells in the cell sample; b) determining the proportion of CD45+ white blood cells in the cell sample which are CD4+ lymphocytes

The invention claimed is: 1. A method of enumerating the number of CD4+ lymphocytes in a cell sample, comprising: a) determining the absolute number of CD45+ white blood cells in the cell sample; b) determining the proportion of CD45+ white blood cells in the cell sample which are CD4+ lymphocytes via flow cytometry by: (i) defining a primary population of CD45+ white blood cells; (ii) defining a secondary population, within said primary population, of all CD4+ lymphocytes having CD4Bright/low side scatter expression; and (iii) calculating the proportion of CD45+ white blood cells which are CD4+ lymphocytes; and c) multiplying the absolute number of CD45+ white blood cells obtained in step (a) by the proportion of CD45+ white blood cells which are CD4+ lymphocytes obtained in step (b), thereby determining the absolute number of CD4+ lymphocytes in the cell sample; wherein step a) and step b) can be performed in either order. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein step is performed via flow cytometry using a bead-based or volumetric-based counting method. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the bead-based counting method comprises adding a known numbers of beads to the cell sample; and counting the beads and cells simultaneously to obtain the absolute number of CD45+ white blood cells. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein step a) is performed using a hematology analyzer. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cell sample is whole unlysed blood, unfractionated, fractionated or lysed whole blood. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: the cell sample is whole unlysed blood, unfractionated, fractionated or lysed whole blood, and the absolute number of CD45+ white blood cells in the cell sample is determined in step a)per volume of whole unlysed blood, unfractionated, fractionated or lysed whole blood.