{
  "abstract": "Background Cytokines and growth factors are critical reagents used in cell therapy and regenerative medicine, yet their biological activity and consistency can vary significantly based on the expression system used. HEK293-expressed growth factors offer advantages in terms of authentic post-translational modifications and improved bioactivity.Methods In this study, we performed various cell-based assays to compare the bioactivity, cell expansion and cell differentiation potential of cytokines derived from HEK293 and E. coli.Results We highlight the significant improvement in bioactivity and performance of HEK293-derived growth factors further leading to enhancing cell expansion and differentiation. Human Betacellulin (BTC) protein expressed in HEK293 shows 100 times more bioactivity than E. coli derived BTC. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expressed in HEK293 cells demonstrated enhanced efficacy in promoting neuronal differentiation of SHSY5Y cells compared to E. coli derived. Similarly, HEK293-expressed interleukin-34 (IL-34) significantly improved the generation and maturation of macrophages. Furthermore, the combination of HEK293-derived IL-2, IL-7, and IL-15 resulted in robust expansion of T cells with a favorable phenotype for immunotherapeutic applications.Conclusions These findings not only support the use of HEK293-expressed growth factors as biologically superior reagents but also a way to reduce cost of cell expansion and differentiation workflows.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Proteintech, Rosemont, IL, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Sreethu Sankar"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Proteintech, Rosemont, IL, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Longtao Wu"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Proteintech, Rosemont, IL, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Annika Dalheim"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Proteintech, Rosemont, IL, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Timothy Sontag"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Proteintech, Rosemont, IL, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Deepa Shankar"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Proteintech, Rosemont, IL, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Sharad Vashisht"
    }
  ],
  "title": "869 HEK-293 derived cytokines drive enhanced cell expansion and differentiations",
  "uid": "8e969bfa-c262-58f3-9aac-3af91cd20bf3"
}