{"id":160,"date":"2019-01-22T10:20:56","date_gmt":"2019-01-22T03:20:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nirvaxis.com\/en\/blog\/2019\/03\/15\/nk-cells-the-cancer-cure\/"},"modified":"2019-06-12T20:44:22","modified_gmt":"2019-06-12T13:44:22","slug":"nk-cells-the-cancer-cure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nirvaxis.com\/en\/blog\/2019\/01\/22\/nk-cells-the-cancer-cure\/","title":{"rendered":"NK Cells: The Cancer Cure"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is the immune system?<\/h2>\n

The immune system protects the body from bacteria, viruses, parasites, allergens, and cancerous cells. Without the immune system, your body will be vulnerable to diseases. The most important component of the immune system is the white blood cells that are spread out across the body to detect and eliminate infections.<\/p>\n

NK cells\u2019 role in the immune system<\/h2>\n

Natural Killer (NK) Cells are a type of white blood cells that act as the front line of defense against invading viruses and bacteria. NK cells respond quickly to infections and are able to distinguish good cells from abnormal ones. This is why NK cells are 100 times more effective in fighting against cancer than other white blood cells.<\/p>\n

People who have low NK cells are more likely to succumb to sickness than people with high NK cells. Their immune system is weak, inefficient, and unable to protect the body from bacteria and cancerous cells.<\/p>\n

How to count and measure the effectiveness of NK cells<\/h2>\n

Flow cytometry is one of the fastest and most accurate methods to detect and measure the characteristics and effectiveness of NK cells. The test involves using special reagents to dilute blood cells. These blood cells are passed through a flow cells, irradiated by laser, and thoroughly analyzed. <\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
NK Cells count<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Technique<\/strong><\/td>\nFlow cytometry<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pros<\/strong><\/td>\nConvenient, fast, and accurate<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Blood sample<\/strong><\/td>\n3 milliliters of blood in 2 vials
\nPatient don\u2019t have to abstain from food and drink\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Time<\/strong><\/td>\n5 days<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Reference values<\/strong><\/td>\nMale: 140\u20131,103 cells\/uL
\nFemale: 96\u2013998 cells\/uL<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Flow cytometry<\/h2>\n

Flow cytometry is a laser-based method to count and analyze the size, shape, and characteristics of cells. A cell population is suspended in a clear saline solution, and then funneled through a nozzle that forges a single-cell stream. The population then flows past the laser one cell at a time. This helps ensure that every cell is analyzed independently.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
NK Activity<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Technique<\/strong><\/td>\nMicrofluorometry (Calcein-AM Cytotoxicity Assay)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pros<\/strong><\/td>\nHigh accuracy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Blood sample<\/strong><\/td>\n10 milliliters of blood in 1 vial
\nPatients don\u2019t have to abstain from food and drink\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Time<\/strong><\/td>\n5 days<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Reference values<\/strong><\/td>\nMale: 43\u201358%
\nFemale: 35\u201351%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Microfluorometry (Calcein-AM Cytotoxicity Assay)<\/h2>\n

Microfluorimetry is a technique that measures the effectiveness of NK cells based on the number of cancer cells destroyed within a specified amount of time. Cancer cells are put together with NK cells in a laboratory with real-time surveillance. The number of cancer cells that were eliminated within four hours will be used to measure the effectiveness of NK cells. <\/p>\n

How to interpret results<\/h2>\n

Lower than the reference value<\/h3>\n