Section Head: Dr. Saloua Hmissi (Acting Head)
Laboratory Manager: Mr Fabio Culurgioni
The Cellular Therapy Laboratory provides cell processing services for the Bone Marrow Transplant Program at the National Center for Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR), Hamad Medical Corporation. The NCCCR offers state-of-the-art stem cell transplant treatment for the State of Qatar. The laboratory is housed in a modernized suite within the NCCCR, with all rooms maintained to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Cleanroom standards. All manipulations are carried out under strict aseptic conditions.
The Laboratory offers services for autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplants (bone marrow or cells from a peripheral blood apheresis product). Depending upon the source and volume of stem cells received and the diagnosis of the recipient, these may include the following services:
- testing to assure that an adequate dose is collected
- processing of the cell product
- cryopreservation and storage of the product until it is needed
- bedside thaw procedure
- RBC depletion
- Plasma depletion
- donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI)
- storage in vapor phase of the liquid nitrogen at <-150◦C
The Laboratory also performs cell product quality control according to international standards that includes:
- CD34+ cell count and viability, CD3+ cell count, CD45+ cells count and TBNK using flow
- Total cell count, automated differential count using Sysmex XN hematology analyzer
- Manual differential count in the peripheral blood smear of the apheresis samples
- Colony Forming Unit- CFU assay to assess the clonogenicity capacity of the stem cells
- Sterility test
- Manual blood grouping
CTL GMP Clean rooms are environmentally monitored and maintained using air sampling, particle count, clean room deep cleaning and finger dab testing.
