Does this method comply with the new ICH S2(R1) guideline?
Yes.
ICH states: "Systems for automated analysis (image analysis and flow cytometry) can be used if appropriately validated…" Assays are considered validated if they meet the criteria as stated by the International Workshop on Genotoxicity Testing (IWGT): Provide % MN-RET, % MN-NCE and % RET, detect both fragments and whole chromosomes, score consistently within and between experiments, and understand how known artifacts behave in the system.
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Additionally, IWGT indicates, "A number of different flow cytometric-based micronucleus assays have been developed, but at the present time the validation data are most extensive for the flow cytometric method using anti-CD71 fluorescent staining especially in terms of inter-laboratory collaborative data." [Note: This "anti-CD71" method is the MicroFlow method.]
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ICH further states, "Rat blood can be used for micronucleus analysis provided methods are used to ensure analysis of the newly formed reticulocytes…and the sample size is sufficiently large to provide appropriate statistical sensitivity…"
Here’s how the MicroFlow method complies with the guideline:
The MicroFlow method meets all the criteria of IWGT. Furthermore, it is the most validated method in the world.
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MicroFlow kits use the anti-CD71 method referred to above to label and score the youngest of reticulocytes, even in rat blood. Additionally, this method ensures a scoring error below the level of animal-to-animal variation by analyzing 20,000 cells per sample.