Automating Blood Cell Washing Applications to Boost Laboratory Performance

A new automated, high-performance cell washer has been specifically designed to enable precise, thorough, reproducible and rapid blood cell washing of up to 24 tubes in a three-minute run.

Fully automated, the Thermo Scientific CW3 Cell Washer has been uniquely engineered to combine the benefits of efficient performance with user-friendly design and safe operation. Users can select one of the pre-set programs that have been designed to run in automatic mode, accelerate blood cell washing cycles and achieve significant time savings, while allowing for maximum ease of use and sample safety.

“Effective blood cell washing is extremely important in the removal of plasma and unwanted antibodies to ensure that patients will not be affected by adverse health effects and that blood-transfused products will retain all of their beneficial attributes,” said Hugh Tansey, global product director, centrifugation, Thermo Fisher Scientific. “To address this issue, we’ve developed a novel cell washer to help clinical, hospital and serological laboratories, as well as blood bank and transfusion centers, fulfill their fundamental mission to promote the well-being of patients.”

The CW3 Cell Washer has been designed to achieve optimal corpuscle dryness by allowing users to pre-set the desired decanting speed. At the same time, corpuscle washing is improved via the optional overflow method. For washing, tubes swing at a fixed positive angle to sediment cells rapidly at the bottom of the tube, whereas when decanting, the rotor holds tubes at a slightly negative angle and the saline is decanted centrifugally. The result is optimized pelleting performance. Furthermore, the flexibility to use 12- or 24-place rotors and standardized, repeatable procedures enables the instrument to adapt to the processes and protocols already in place within the lab.

Built with sample safety in mind, the compact CW3 Cell Washer features an automatic alert mechanism that informs users about low or disrupted saline levels and when a run is complete. A view port on top of the unit facilitates quick calibration, while the saline distributor is mounted directly on top of the rotor to reduce the risk of cross-contamination. The new washer is also equipped with tube racks bearing red and blue number labeling for easy sample balancing. In addition, when closed-monitoring of the washing process is required, the system can be operated manually to allow for cells that need to be washed step-by-step. As a low maintenance instrument, the CW3 Cell Washer includes easy-to-change pump tubing and an easy-to-remove catch basin, rotor and rotating bowl.