Human Cord Blood CD4+ T Helper Cells

The CD4+ T cell, also known as T helper cell (Th cell), is a type of T cells that play an important role in the immune system, particularly in the adaptive immune system.  T cells Mature in the Thymus, and become CD4+ after gaining an affinity for the MHC II class receptor. Upon maturation, CD4+ T cells spread throughout the body and lymph nodes in its naïve form, awaiting the activation by the antigen each T cell receptor is pre-programmed to respond to.

The T helper cells recognize foreign antigens and regulate immune response through different cytokines secretion, causing the B cell proliferation and activating the cytotoxic T cells.

Our Cord Blood CD4+ T helper cells are isolated from cord blood mononuclear cells using immunomagnetic selection. All cord blood is collected in Citric Phosphate with Dextrose Buffer (CPD) from fully consented IRB approved donors.

Figure 1. The purity of CD4+ T cells are >93%.

 ~split~

The importance of helper T cells can be seen from HIV, a virus that primarily infects CD4+ T cells. In the advanced stages of HIV infection, loss of functional CD4+ T cells leads to the symptomatic stage of infection known as the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). When the HIV virus is detected early in blood or other bodily fluids, continuous therapy can delay the time at which this fall happens. Therapy can also better manage the course of AIDS if and when it occurs. There are other rare disorders such as lymphocytopenia which result in the absence or dysfunction of CD4+ T cells. These disorders produce similar symptoms, many of which are fatal.