Optimizing a clinical flow cytometry panel can be a subjective process dependent on experience. We develop a quantitative method to make this process more rigorous and apply it to B lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (B-ALL) minimal residual disease (MRD) testing.
We retrospectively analyzed our existing three-tube, seven-color B-ALL MRD panel and used our novel method to develop an optimized one-tube, eight-color panel, which was tested prospectively.
The optimized one-tube, eight-color panel resulted in greater efficiency of time and resources with no loss in diagnostic power.
Constructing a flow cytometry panel using a rigorous, objective, quantitative method permits optimization and avoids problems of interdependence and redundancy in a large, multiantigen panel.