Stabilization of leukocytes from cerebrospinal fluid for central immunophenotypic evaluation in multicenter clinical trials

Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) represents a valuable window into the pathogenesis of neuroinflammatory diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). However, analysis of the cellular fraction of CSF is often neglected because CSF cells die rapidly ex vivo. Immunophenotyping of CSF cells in multicenter clinical trials requires sample preservation and shipping to a centralized lab. Yet, there is no consensus on the best method to preserve intact CSF cells and no detailed evaluation of subset-specific cell loss.