The generation of human lymphokine-activated killer cells in various serum-free media

Recent data generated in our laboratory indicates that human lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells can be induced in several commercially available serum-free medium formulations. Interestingly, LAK cells were also generated in RPMI 1640 medium plus 1000 U/ml IL-2 without addition of human serum. However, higher levels of cytolytic activity were generally obtained in the commercial serum-free formulations. Cytotoxic activity was observed both at 3 and 7 days against a LAK-sensitive cell line (Daudi). Maximal cytolytic activity was usually produced by 7 days of in vitro culture in 1000 U/ml of interleukin-2 (IL-2).