title: A mathematical model of natural killer cell activity.
abstract: Natural killer (NK) cells are capable of lysing their target cells with the help of perforin. The application of these cells for immunotherapy requires the estimation of their potency for the purpose of validation and batch-to-batch comparison. Cytotoxicity measurements have been carried out at only a few effector target ratios, therefore, allowing only semiquantitative assessment at best. By using a novel approach of varying the effector target ratio continuously and careful analysis of the experimental data after the reactions, we have achieved a precision necessary for constructing a mathematical model of cytotoxic reaction. Curve-fitting to experimental data indicates that NK cell cytotoxicity follows the law of mass action and fits the model of a single ligand-receptor interaction. The method allows to use the value of half-maximal lysis to describe the potency of cytotoxic NK cells numerically.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology and Oncology, University of Tartu, Tartu 51014, Estonia.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scherbakova
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lust
authors.forename: Hele
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Everaus
authors.forename: Alar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aints
mesh_terms: D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D015870:Gene Expression; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D015233:Models, Statistical
chemical_list: D006680:HLA Antigens