Biological samples are incredibly diverse and complex, and an initial cleanup step is essential to reduce sample heterogeneity prior to downstream applications. This is especially important when dealing with cell types of low abundance like Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells. iNKT cells are a subset of unconventional T cells that recognize lipid-based antigens and have been shown to have a potent anti-tumor response when stimulated appropriately. This has spurred interest in identification of iNKT cell activators as potential adjuncts to immunotherapy regimens. As iNKT cells represent less than 1% of splenocytes or cells in peripheral blood, isolating enough high-quality iNKT cells for the studies necessary for advancing our understanding of their potential can be difficult and time consuming.
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