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Related Concept Videos

Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response01:27

Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response

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Cytotoxic T cells are a vital component of the immune system. They have the remarkable ability to identify and target antigens on infected or abnormal cells. These antigens often originate from intracellular pathogens such as viruses or abnormal proteins cancer cells produce.
Immunological surveillance is the ability of immune cells to monitor and eliminate infected cells with intracellular pathogens, neoplastically transformed cells, and cells with non-self antigens. Cytotoxic T cells and NK...
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Cells of the Innate Immune Response01:28

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The innate immune response is an immediate and non-specific response against pathogens, acting swiftly to prevent the spread of infections. The primary cells involved in this response are phagocytes and natural killer (NK) cells.
Phagocytes
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Immune surveillance is an integral part of the innate immune system, involving the continuous monitoring of peripheral tissues to detect and respond to pathogens, infected cells, or cancerous cells. This surveillance is conducted primarily by natural killer (NK) cells and phagocytes, which employ distinct but complementary mechanisms to identify and eliminate threats.
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T cells are integral to our adaptive immune system, recognizing and effectively responding to foreign antigens. T cell activation and clonal selection are pivotal in orchestrating this immune response. This article elucidates these mechanisms, detailing the roles of cluster of differentiation (CD) markers, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, costimulatory signals, and the process of clonal selection.
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Immune Response Against Viral Pathogens01:29

Immune Response Against Viral Pathogens

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The immune system's response to viral infections is a complex and coordinated process involving natural killer (NK) cells, T cell-mediated responses, and antibody-mediated responses.
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B Cell Activation and Differentiation01:24

B Cell Activation and Differentiation

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The adaptive immune response, a sophisticated defense mechanism, relies on the activation and differentiation of B lymphocytes, or B cells. These processes enable our bodies to mount a tailored response against specific pathogens such as bacteria, free virus particles, toxins, and parasites.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 15, 2026

Measurement of Natural Killer Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity and Migration in the Context of Hepatic Tumor Cells
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Measurement of Natural Killer Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity and Migration in the Context of Hepatic Tumor Cells

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Dynamics of natural killer cell function upon recurrent stimulation.

Jennifer One1, Janani Narayan2, Frank Cichocki3

  • 1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

Biotechnology Progress
|January 14, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Repeated stimulation with K562 feeder cells expands natural killer (NK) cells for cancer therapy. However, this process alters NK cell growth, metabolism, and function, requiring careful monitoring for effective cell product development.

Keywords:
biomanufacturingcytotoxicitygrowthmetabolismnatural killer cells

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Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Biotechnology

Background:

  • Natural killer (NK) cells are crucial for cancer immunotherapy.
  • Allogeneic, off-the-shelf NK cell therapies require maximal cell expansion.
  • Current expansion methods use K562 feeder cells, but their impact on NK cells is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of repeated K562 feeder cell stimulation on NK cell expansion, metabolism, and function.
  • To understand the changes in NK cell kinetics and cellular processes during large-scale biomanufacturing.

Main Methods:

  • Serial stimulation of NK cells with K562 feeder cells.
  • Seahorse metabolic flux assays to analyze cellular metabolism.
  • Transcriptomics to assess gene expression changes.
  • Functional assays to evaluate cytokine secretion and killing ability.

Main Results:

  • A shift in NK cell growth kinetics and metabolism occurred around weeks 3-4 of stimulation.
  • Metabolic analysis revealed a transition from glycolytic to oxidative metabolism early in stimulation.
  • Despite sustained expansion, growth kinetics correlated with reduced overall metabolic activity.
  • Changes in cytokine secretion and cytotoxic function were observed with prolonged stimulation.

Conclusions:

  • Serial K562 stimulation effectively expands NK cells for therapeutic purposes.
  • This expansion process significantly impacts NK cell growth, metabolism, and function.
  • Thorough characterization is essential for optimizing large-scale NK cell biomanufacturing and ensuring product efficacy.