2016 ACVIM Forum Research Abstract Program

We successfully purified mature feline erythrocytes from whole blood with a combination of centrifugation and leukoreduction with a specialized filter. This removed a majority of the reticulocytes, white blood cells and platelets, however a final purification step utilizing magnetic beads coated with antibodies was subsequently used to ensure a pure mature population of erythrocytes. For this immune-depletion step, antibodies were initially tested for reactivity in the feline, then biotinylated for use within the columns. The antibodies used in this study were: anti-CD71 (anti-transferrin receptor to remove reticulocytes); anti-CD18 (anti-beta2 integrin to remove leukocytes) and anti-CD61 (anti-beta 3 integrin to remove platelets). Assessment of the mature red blood cell preparation purity was performed with an automated flow cytometry-based hematology analyzer to identify the presence of leukocytes, platelets and reticulocytes.