Expanded Human Peripheral Blood NK Cells are NK cells enriched and expanded from human PBMCs using the NK Expansion Kit, a K562 feeder cell-based system for about 2 weeks, and cryopreserved. Human Peripheral Blood NK Cells are >90 % pure NK cells (CD3-CD56+ cells), as measured by flow cytometry analysis. They can be used in NK cytotoxicity assays or ADCC (antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity), after thaw and recovery in NK Cell Basal Medium for 24 hours or can be further expanded using the BPS Bioscience NK Expansion
Background
NK (natural killer) cells are part of the innate immune system. They function in a histocompatibility complex-independent mode and derive from the hematopoietic lineage. They are the first line of defense against cancer. Expression of marker CD56 correlates with NK cell functionality: the CD56bright subset accounts for about 5% of the population and is less cytotoxic than the CD56dim subset. Cytotoxicity can happen by the release of perforin and granzyme, while activation by KARs (killer activating receptors) leads to release of Fas Ligand, TRAIL (TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand) and TNFα (tumor necrosis factor-alpha). In a suppressive tumor microenvironment, NK cells can become inhibited and unable to fight cancer cells. Several clinical trials have focused on using ex vivo generated NK cells alone or in combination with other approaches. NK cells can be generated ex vivo from peripheral blood, umbilical cord blood, iPS cells or immortalized NK cell lines. The ability to generate a number of pure cells high enough for human dosage often requires the use of growth factors such as IL-2 (interleukin 2) or IL-15, and feeder cells. The use of NK cells or CAR (chimeric antigen receptor)-NK cells is an expanding area holding great promise in cancer therapy.
Shipping Temperature
-80°C
Applications Range
Use in NK cell cytotoxicity assays.
Use in NK cell mediated ADCC assays
Storage
NK Cells are shipped in dry ice and should immediately be thawed or stored in liquid nitrogen upon receipt. Do not use a -80°C freezer for long term storage. Contact technical support at [email protected] if the cells are not frozen in dry ice upon arrival.
Reference
Du N., et al., 2021 Cancers (Basel) 13 (16): 4129.
Luciferase-Based cytotoxicity profile of Expanded Human Peripheral Blood NK Cells
Reviews of Expanded Human Peripheral Blood NK Cells