Today, I started my morning in the Stem Cell Laboratory. I was shown how scientists prepped donor cord blood cells to give to the patient. The cells were stored in a specially designed freezer, shown below. they were then diluted, centrifuged and then attached to IV cords. I learned that contamination was one of the main concerns when prepping cells, so after the centrifuging, the supernatant was kept to be tested for contamination. After the cells were prepped, I then rode with them to the Children’s Health Center.
In the Children’s Health Center, I shadowed another doctor and watched the cells that were prepped earlier be injected into the patient. In total, I was able to watch three of these infusions during the day. These infusions of cord blood cells are part of a clinical trial dealing with the brain that Duke is working on right now. Watching the whole process from the prepping of the cells to the infusion gave me a well-rounded experience in the medical world.