NK-92 cells retain vitality and functionality when grown in standard cell culture conditions

NK-92 cells are an off-the-shelf, cell-based immunotherapy currently in clinical trials for a variety of cancer types. As the most 'NK-like' cell line available, it is also an important research tool. To date, NK-92 cells have been cultivated in a costly and time-consumingly prepared speci...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PLoS ONE 2022, Vol.17 (3), p.e0264897
Main Authors: Kotzur, Rebecca, Duev-Cohen, Alexandra, Kol, Inbal, Reches, Adi, Mandelboim, Ofer, Stein, Natan
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
Cancer
Care and treatment
Cell culture
Cell lines
Killer cells
Medical research
Medicine, Experimental
Physiological aspects
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:NK-92 cells are an off-the-shelf, cell-based immunotherapy currently in clinical trials for a variety of cancer types. As the most 'NK-like' cell line available, it is also an important research tool. To date, NK-92 cells have been cultivated in a costly and time-consumingly prepared specialized medium, complicating research with these cells. Here we show that NK-92 cells grow in the comparatively user-friendly RPMI medium supplemented with IL-2. We demonstrate that their metabolic activity and replication rates are even improved in RPMI. Furthermore, they can be grown in cell culture dishes and do not need to be expanded in ventilated flasks. We show that in RPMI the cells retain functional characteristics relating to receptor expression, IFN-[gamma] secretion, and killing. Our findings will enable more researchers to work with and manipulate this cell line, hopefully leading to further discoveries and improved therapies.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0264897