High Immunophenotyping of Human PBMCs Using Lyophilized Antibodies

Immunophenotyping of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) is a critical technique for understanding immune responses in both health and disease. Traditionally, this process relies on the use of liquid antibody cocktails, which are time-consuming to prepare, prone to laboratory error, and have limited shelf lives. Recent advancements in lyophilization of antibodies and other reagents have addressed these challenges by enhancing reagent stability, extending shelf life, and simplifying transport and storage. Dried antibody cocktails have been shown to perform comparably to liquid cocktails in flow cytometry assays while reducing preparation time and minimizing handling errors. This review focuses on the use of lyophilized reagents for high-dimensional immunophenotyping of human PBMCs, discussing their advantages in large-scale studies, global health initiatives, and clinical research. By streamlining immune profiling workflows, lyophilized reagents have the potential to improve accessibility and facilitate the adoption of immunophenotyping in resource-limited settings.