PBMC

A Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell (PBMC) is a blood cell having a round nucleus, such as a lymphocyte or a monocyte. These blood cells are a critical component in the immune system to fight infection and adapt to intruders.

These cells are often extracted from whole blood using ficoll, a hydrophilic polysaccharide that separates layers of blood, with monocytes and lymphocytes forming a buffy coat under a layer of plasma. This buffy coat contains the PBMCs.

PBMCs are widely used in research and clinical uses every day. HIV research uses them because PBMCs include CD4+ cells, the cells HIV infects.

See also Peripheral blood cell.

Célula mononuclear de sangre periférica