Human Umbilical Cord Blood Derived NK cells

Available formats: ≥ 1.0 x 106/ ml. cryopreserved in suitable medium

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General Description Specifications Certificate Of Analysis Technical Library

The human umbilical cord blood derived NK cells are a kind of immune cells, obtained from the enriched fraction of progenitor cells derived from umbilical cord blood. The cells are the potent allogeneic population, which are used as a promising immunotherapeutic approach for the treatment of cancer, infections and immune disorders.The UCB derived NK cells can be obtained and expanded from an enriched fraction of mononuclear cells, using a cocktail of growth factors, cytokines and feeder cells. The resulting NK cells product is a mixture of mature and trained NK cells with the ability to recognize cancerous as well as infected cells. The UCB derived NK cells are more advantageous as compared to other sources like peripheral blood, bone marrow etc. The availability of NK cells per unit of blood is higher with a less risk of transmission and lower incidence of graft-versus-host diseases (GVHD). The UCB-derived NK cells product can be administered to the patient via infusion and/or injection.The isolation method of NK cells may vary depending upon the experimental requirements and expertise. Kosheeka separates NK cells using magnetic beads like CD56, CD16 as well as NKG2D. The bead bound cells can be separated from the rest of the cells using a magnetic field. The cells isolated with this method are highly purified and enriched for the CD56 population. We recommend transportation of these cells either in fresh as well as cryopreserved form. While fresh NK cells are transported in specialized transport containers at room temperature and protect them from physical shock; the cryopreserved NK cells are shipped in dry ice.

Product Category	Homo Sapiens, Human
Product Type	Non-adherent population of cells in suspension
Derived From	Human umbilical cord blood
Cell Morphology	Round, light emitting cells with variable morphology
Culture & Growth Properties	Non-adherent population
Passage No.	P1
Mycoplasma	Detected on demand
Hepatitis B	Negative
Hepatitis C	Negative
HIV-1	Negative
Aerobic & Anaerobic Bacteria	Negative after 7 days of culture
Positive for	CD 56, CD16
Negative for	CD 34

There is no one-size-fits all protocol to maintain and expand NK cells in culture. The optimal culture medium may vary depending upon the procedural requirements, availability and experimental requisites, as well as other downstream applications. Some of the commonly used culture media are RPMI 1640, IMDM as well as DMEM/F12. Addition to these media, certain cocktail of growth factors is preferred like IL-2, IL-15, or IL-21. It is important to optimize the culture conditions to obtain yield of viable and functional NK cells.

Generally, NK cells are stored at -800c or -1960c in a freezing medium containing dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) along with fetal bovine serum (FBS). For thawing the cells, a vial containing a population of NK cells is removed from storage and rapidly thawed at 370c. Once thawed the cells should be washed and resuspended in a fresh culture medium.

The NK cells can be maintained in culture through regular alterations of fresh medium with supplements. It is important though to remove dead cells and cellular debris, through repeated media changes and gentle washing. The culture conditions like temperature, humidity as well as CO2 levels, should be carefully controlled to ensure optimal cell proliferation, growth and expansion.

As per reported challenges, it is quite difficult to maintain and expand NK cells in culture along with their functional properties. With repeated passage, NK cells can lose their functional activity, proliferation capacity and naiveness. Another challenge is to obtain a pure population of NK cells, as other cells present in the mononuclear fraction can contaminate the culture and affect the final results.

The pure population of NK cells is important for various in vitro screening assays and therapeutic applications. The NK cells are used as a therapeutic tool for various dangerous diseases like cancer and other diseases.

NK cells can be activated in culture by various methods, including cytokine activation like IL-2, IL-12, as well as IL-15. The activation of NK cells is also facilitated with the addition of antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Certain studies have also demonstrated co-culture abilities of NK cells on certain types of feeder cell culture.

The cytokine activity in culture is directly proportional to the NK cell activity. The production of cytokines such as IFN-gamma can be measured through various functional assays to understand NK cells activity in the culture.

Kosheeka recommends considering certain factors while choosing the right source of NK cells, such as including health status and age of the donor, the type of tissue or blood source used, and the method of isolation of NK cells. It is also important to consider that the genetic variability and functional properties of the NK cells can vary among different donors.

While shipping NK cells, it is important to consider certain factors like temperature, packaging material as well as transit time. The cells need to be shipped at appropriate temperature to maintain cell viability. The packaging material should also be designed with soft absorbent material to protect the cells from physical damage and temperature fluctuation.