ArticleBMC biotechnology2026
Cultivation strategy optimisation for NK-92 cell line expansion in static conditions.
Article in BMC biotechnology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Automated cytotoxicity assessment of natural killer cells by flow cytometry.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- Impact of CPPs on primary human NK cell CQAs during cell expansion - an experimental study using design of experiments.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2026Article
- A novel cultivation strategy to recover NK cell cytotoxicity.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2026Article
- Homogeneous shear distribution improves NK-92 cell cytotoxicity in a clinically relevant 2 L membrane-stirred bioreactor.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundNatural killer cells play a critical role in innate immunity by targeting and eliminating cancerous and infected cells. The cell line NK-92, currently used in several clinical trials, has shown great potential in cancer immunotherapy due to strong cytotoxic capabilities and suitability as an off-the-shelf therapy. However, effective clinical application of NK-92 therapies requires optimised cell culture conditions, including cultivation medium composition and expansion methods. This study aimed at identifying optimal cultivation medium formulations and intensifying NK-92 cell expansion by systematically evaluating critical quality attributes and key performance indicators.
resultsWe screened various cultivation media formulations, including alpha minimum essential medium, Roswell Park Memorial Institute medium, and stem cell growth medium, supplemented with either human serum, fetal bovine serum, chemically defined serum replacement, and a combination of fetal bovine serum and horse serum. Cells cultivated in alpha minimum essential medium supplemented with human serum significantly outperformed the other formulations, achieving the highest growth rate, maximum viable cell count, and superior cytotoxicity at high cost-efficiency. Media containing chemically defined serum replacement showed reduced cell proliferation despite high cytotoxicity per cell, indicating a complex balance between cell quantity and functionality. Following cultivation medium selection, cultivation strategies including batch, fed-batch, and repetitive batch were compared. The repetitive batch method, where cultivation medium is replenished repeatedly throughout the cultivation, demonstrated superior expansion capability, long-term cell viability, significantly improved cytotoxicity, although associated with higher medium consumption and thus costs.
conclusionsThis study identified alpha minimum essential medium supplemented with human serum in repetitive batch cultivation as the optimal approach for NK-92 cell expansion. This combination enhances cell growth, viability, and cytotoxicity, meeting essential clinical quality attributes while maintaining cost-effectiveness. These findings provide valuable guidance and should act as a baseline for consistent, scalable, and commercially viable production of NK cell-based cancer therapies.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.