Bacterial Killing Assay – PBMC - neutrophils

In anti-infective drug development, ex vivo bacterial killing assays utilizing Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) or polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) are employed to evaluate the functional interplay between a candidate therapeutic and host immune effector mechanisms during pathogen clearance. Distinct from conventional in vitro susceptibility testing (e.g., minimum inhibitory concentration determinations), which evaluate direct antimicrobial activity in isolation, these co-culture assays integrate human cellular immunity to elucidate whether the investigational compound potentiates, acts synergistically with, or conversely impairs endogenous host defense mechanisms.