Test | Information provided | Technique | Abnormal result* | Notes |
Lymphocyte subset analysis | Identifies and quantifies NK cells | FACS | Absent or decreased | Separate CD56 and CD16 evaluations¶ |
NK cytotoxicity and ADCC | Assessment of NK cell function ex vivo | Cytotoxicity assay | Absent or decreasedΔ | Always ship samples with an unrelated control◊ |
Cytokine-induced cytotoxicity and cytokine production | Responsiveness to cytokine stimulation (IL-2, IL-12, and IFN-alfa) | Cytotoxicity assay | Absent or decreased | |
| Intracellular FACS§ |
NK cell subset analysis | More detailed information about NK cell phenotype | FACS | Missing/decreased activation receptor or increased inhibitory receptor | |
Redirected lysis and other antibody- or ligand-directed assays | Assessment of specific receptor function | Cytotoxicity assay, granule release, Ca++ flux, and others | Decreased activity after specific receptor ligation | |