From Immune Insight to Therapeutic Innovation

What Are Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells?

PBMCs can be found in peripheral blood and include a diverse population of cell types and functions, such as:²

• T lymphocytes – include the components for adaptive immunity, such as CD8+, CD4+, and regulatory T-cells
• B lymphocytes – recognize antigens and create antibodies
• Natural killer (NK) cells – identify and destroy infected or diseased cells directly
• Monocytes – precursor cells to macrophages that engulf pathogens and other cellular debris

These cell populations work together to provide both adaptive and innate immunity functions within the body, making PBMCs a comprehensive model system for studying complex immune responses in human health and disease. This diversity is key for researchers and captures the complexity of human immunity in a single, accessible sample.

Why are PBMCs Critical in Modern Research and Therapeutics?

PBMCs are a cornerstone of immunological research and drug development.  They are accessed from routine blood draws, which makes them both convenient and invaluable for studying immune responses without invasive procedures. 

Some key applications of PBMCs in research and medicine include:

• Immunological response studies such as T-cell function assays and B-cell activation and antibody production^6-7
• Immunotherapy development such as CAR-T cell therapies, tumor infiltrating lymphocyte studies, and cancer immunosurveillance^8-11
• Vaccine research studies that determine efficacy and immunogenicity¹²
• Infectious disease research spanning both viral and bacterial infection studies (HIV, influenza, SARS-CoV-2, tuberculosis)^13-15
• Toxicology and drug screening to assess immunotoxic potential of new drug candidates and cytotoxicity testing for potential therapeutics^16-18

The broad uses of PBMCs across many disciplines allows them to be a versatile and impactful tool in biomedical research. From probing immune function, to evaluating therapeutic candidates and understanding disease mechanisms, PBMCs allow for meaningful transition from the bench to the clinic.

Challenges in PBMC Research

The diversity and accessibility of PBMCs in modern research have made them an essential part of many applications.  However, there are various challenges associated with using PBMCs in these fields.  Some examples include:

• Donor variability, which includes donor demographics such as ethnicity, age, and blood type¹⁴
• Cryopreservation effects such as freeze-thaw cycles can impact viability and function¹⁹
• Assay reproducibility using PBMCs requires standardizing cell populations to meet certain levels

At ATCC, these challenges are met with rigorous testing and standards, ensuring the best PBMC cell populations for your research.

How Can ATCC Help Support Your PBMC Research?

Despite the challenges in PBMC research, ATCC is an industry leader in providing high-quality PBMC lots to meet your application needs.  

• Custom PBMC biomarker selection: our team of experts can help select PBMC lots that fit your application based on your biomarker specifications
• Biomarker characterization for each lot: each of our PBMC lots has been carefully screened to determine the biomarker composition for CD45+, CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD14+, CD19+, and CD56+ cells
• High viability: our PBMC lots have a minimum post-freeze viability of 80% or higher and also meet a minimum standard of 25 million cells/ampule, with most lots exceeding this amount 
• Donor demographics: our comprehensive certificate of analysis for each lot is available to you and includes information on donor demographics, viral testing, viability, and biomarker levels
• Technical support: our team of experts is here to help, with 1 on 1 contact and personal support for your application needs

PBMCs remain an essential part of modern immunological and toxicological research, bridging the gap between the lab and clinical translation.  The accessibility and versatility of these cells make them critical across many different types of workflows.  By partnering with ATCC for your PBMC needs, you can have peace of mind in your research and focus on generating meaningful data.  

Did you know?

ATCC can help select the PBMC lot that matches your specific biomarker requirements.

References

1. Ayuk HS, et al. Evaluating PFAS-induced modulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) immune response to SARS-CoV-2 spike in COVID-19 vaccinees. Environ Int 198: 109409, 2025. PubMed: 40147139
2. Sen P, et al. Perspectives on systems modeling of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Front Mol Biosci 4: 96, 2018. PubMed: 29376056
3. Wu X, et al. Trained autologous cytotoxic T-cells derived from PBMCs or splenocytes for immunotherapy of neuroblastoma. Front Immunol 16: 1546441, 2025. PubMed: 40552293
4. Gao P, et al. Comparison of circulating immune signatures across different consensus molecular subtypes and between left- and right-sided lesions in stage II colorectal cancer using single-cell mass cytometry. J Transl Med 23(1): 496, 2025. PubMed: 40312697
5. Mehta PH, et al. Choice of activation protocol impacts the yield and quality of CAR T cell product, particularly with older individuals. Clin Transl Immunol 13(12): e70016, 2024. PubMed: 39619015
6. Thisted T, et al. VISTA checkpoint inhibition by pH-selective antibody SNS-101 with optimized safety and pharmacokinetic profiles enhances PD-1 response. Nat Commun 15(1): 2917, 2024. PubMed: 38575562
7. Yu T, et al. NLRP3 Cys126 palmitoylation by ZDHHC7 promotes inflammasome activation. Cell Rep 43(4): 114070, 2024. PubMed: 38583156
8. June CH, et al. CAR T cell immunotherapy for human cancer. Science. 359(6382): 1361-1365, 2018. PubMed: 29567707
9. Ladd A, et al. A simple and robust clinical manufacturing process for the ex-vivo expansion of autologous T cells genetically engineered to express an anti-BCMA chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) for the treatment of multiple myeloma. J Immunother Cancer 3(Suppl 2): P117, 2015.
10. Lechner A, et al. Characterization of tumor-associated T-lymphocyte subsets and immune checkpoint molecules in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Oncotarget 8(27): 44418-44433, 2017. PubMed: 28574843
11. Mangiola S, et al. Circulating immune cells exhibit distinct traits linked to metastatic burden in breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res 27(1): 73, 2025. PubMed: 40340807
12. Karmakar S, et al. Preclinical validation of a live attenuated dermotropic Leishmania vaccine against vector transmitted fatal visceral leishmaniasis. Commun Biol 4(1): 929, 2021. PubMed: 34330999
13. Zhu L, et al. Single-cell sequencing of peripheral mononuclear cells reveals distinct immune response landscapes of COVID-19 and influenza patients. Immunity 53(3): 685-696.e3, 2020. PubMed: 32783921
14. Anzinger JJ, et al. Donor variability in HIV binding to peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Virol J 5: 95, 2008. PubMed: 18706090
15. Wang S, et al. Transcriptional profiling of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells identifies diagnostic biomarkers that distinguish active and latent tuberculosis. Front Immunol 10: 2948, 2019. PubMed: 31921195
16. Dhuri K, et al. Therapeutic potential of chemically modified, synthetic, triplex peptide nucleic acid-based oncomir inhibitors for cancer therapy. Cancer Res 81(22): 5613-5624, 2021. PubMed: 34548334
17. Müller M, et al. Gene editing and synthetically accessible inhibitors reveal role for TPC2 in HCC cell proliferation and tumor growth. Cell Chem Biol 28(8): 1119-1131.e27, 2021. PubMed: 33626324
18. Antoshina DV, et al. Antimicrobial activity and immunomodulatory properties of Acidocin A, the pediocin-like bacteriocin with the non-canonical structure. Membranes (Basel) 12(12): 1253, 2022. PubMed: 36557160
19. Li B, et al. Comprehensive evaluation of the effects of long-term cryopreservation on peripheral blood mononuclear cells using flow cytometry. BMC Immunol 23(1): 30, 2022. PubMed: 35672664