Assessment of NK cytotoxicity and interactions with porcine endothelial cells by live-cell imaging in 2D static and 3D microfluidic systems.

Natural Killer (NK) cells are pivotal in immune responses to viral infections, malignancies, autoimmune diseases, and transplantation. Assessment of NK cell adhesion, migration, and cytotoxicity is fundamental for in vitro studies. We propose a novel live-cell tracking method that addresses these three major aspects of NK cell function using human NK cells and primary porcine aortic endothelial cells (PAECs) in two-dimensional (2D) static assays and an in-house cylindrical 3D microfluidic system.