EasySep Direct Human PBMC Isolation Kit

From STEMCELL Technologies, the EasySep™ Direct Human PBMC Isolation Kit enables researchers to obtain highly purified peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) directly from human whole blood by immunomagnetic negative selection, without the need for density gradient centrifugation, sedimentation, or RBC lysis. The kit targets granulocytes, platelets, and red blood cells for removal using antibodies directed against specific cell surface markers, leaving untouched PBMCs immediately available for downstream applications such as flow cytometry, culture, or DNA/RNA extraction. The manufacturer reports 99.9% RBC depletion.

Beyond whole blood, the kit accommodates cord blood, bone marrow, buffy coats, leukapheresis products, and leukocyte reduction system (LRS) cones. Manual processing can be completed in as little as 20 minutes, and automation on the RoboSep™-S instrument further reduces hands-on time. In direct comparisons with density gradient centrifugation, the kit yielded equivalent total mononuclear cell numbers while producing lower residual platelets, red blood cells, and granulocytes, including from 24-, 48-, 72-, and 96-hour-old blood samples. The typical mononuclear cell content of the non-lysed final isolated fraction is 98.3 ± 2.8% when gated on CD45.

Isolated PBMCs maintain high RNA integrity as measured with the Agilent RNA Bioanalyzer and proliferate normally when stimulated with ImmunoCult™ Human CD3/CD28 T Cell Activator and 0.5 ng/ml IL-2. Mass cytometry (CyTOF) analysis using 19 markers shows that recovered cell populations are comparable to those obtained by density gradient centrifugation, with the exception of a contaminating granulocyte population (CD16+CD15+CD11b+CD66b+CD45low) that is reduced with the kit. The product is intended for research use only.