Expansion of Human iNKT Cells Ex Vivo

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are credited with antitumor activity by preclinical studies and clinical trials. Efficient expansion of iNKT cells ex vivo is essential for their translational usage. The culturing procedure described here provides an optimized method for ex vivo expansion of iNKT cells using recombinant human IL-15 (rhIL-15) and recombinant human IL-12 (rhIL-12), which results in cell products with enhanced cytokine secretion and cytotoxicity while maintaining the purity and viability of iNKT cells.