Cell processing services
PBMC Isolation Services
What our PBMC isolation services include
Sanguine provides PBMC isolation services for research teams that need viable peripheral blood mononuclear cells without running the separation themselves. We handle donor sourcing, collection, density-gradient separation, PBMC processing, cryopreservation and shipping — so cells arrive ready for your assay.
Isolation runs from whichever starting material suits your study: fresh whole blood, a leukopak, or an apheresis collection. Cells can be delivered fresh for immediate use or cryopreserved for banking and later timepoints.
How our PBMC processing workflow runs
Define the specification
We agree your starting material, target cell numbers, processing method, cryopreservation medium and delivery format.
Source the donors
Healthy or disease-state donors are recruited and consented under IRB-approved protocols.
Collect
Whole blood draw, leukopak or apheresis collection, scheduled around your timeline.
Isolate and process
Density-gradient separation, washing and counting, performed to your protocol.
Cryopreserve or ship fresh
Cells are shipped fresh for immediate use, or cryopreserved and stored for staged delivery.
Starting material for PBMC isolation
PBMC isolation from whole blood suits smaller studies and tight timelines; leukopak PBMC isolation is the route to high cell numbers from a single donor.
Leukopak PBMC isolation
Leukopak PBMC isolation is the standard route to high cell numbers from a single donor. Because an apheresis collection concentrates white cells, one leukopak yields far more mononuclear cells than a routine venous draw — which matters when a study needs large, donor-matched lots or a single genetic background across every timepoint.
We perform PBMC isolation from leukopaks in-house, and the same donor can be recalled for repeat collections so later lots come from the same individual.
When a leukopak is the right starting material
- Cell therapy and immunology work needing large cell numbers
- Assays that require all replicates from one donor
- Longitudinal designs where the same donor is recalled
- Studies banking multiple vials from a single collection
PBMC isolation protocol and method
Our PBMC isolation protocol uses density-gradient separation. Whole blood or leukopak material is layered over a density medium and centrifuged, which separates the mononuclear layer from plasma above and granulocytes and red cells below. The mononuclear band is drawn off, washed to remove residual platelets and medium, then counted before release or cryopreservation.
Density-gradient separation, step by step
- Dilute the starting material and layer it over the density medium
- Centrifuge without brake so the gradient is not disturbed
- Collect the mononuclear layer at the interface
- Wash to remove platelets and residual medium
- Count and assess viability
- Cryopreserve in a controlled-rate freezer, or release fresh
PBMC isolation from buffy coat follows the same principle, starting from a concentrated leukocyte fraction rather than whole blood.
Common PBMC isolation problems
Most PBMC isolation troubleshooting comes down to a handful of recurring issues. These are the ones we design around.
Low yield
Usually traced to time between draw and processing, or to disturbing the gradient during collection of the mononuclear layer.
Poor viability
Most often caused by delayed processing, temperature excursions in transit, or an over-aggressive wash step.
Red cell and granulocyte carryover
Indicates the gradient was disturbed or the density medium was at the wrong temperature.
Platelet contamination
Addressed with the wash protocol; the number and speed of washes is set per study.
Processing time, temperature and transport are controlled end to end, which is the main reason isolation is worth outsourcing.
Fresh or cryopreserved PBMCs
| Consideration | Fresh PBMCs | Cryopreserved PBMCs |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Assays sensitive to freeze-thaw | Banking, staged delivery, multi-site studies |
| Timing | Use on arrival | Thaw when the study needs them |
| Scheduling | Tied to the collection date | Decoupled from collection |
| Batching | One collection per shipment | Lots reserved and released over time |
Not sure which fits? Tell us the assay and we'll advise.
Quality control and documentation
- Viability and cell counts recorded for every lot
- Processing performed to a documented, repeatable protocol
- Donor demographics and clinical annotation supplied with the samples
- Chain of custody maintained from draw to delivery
Already-isolated PBMCs
If you don't need a custom collection, PBMCs are available from inventory.
Frequently asked questions
Request PBMC isolation services
Tell us your starting material, cell numbers and processing requirements and we'll scope the work.