THP-1 cells are used to study various aspects of monocyte/macrophage biology, immunology, and disease pathology. Creative Biolabs has established a THP-1-based macrophage model service to provide a versatile and accessible platform for macrophage biology research.

Overview of THP-1 Cells

As a commonly used human monocyte cell line, THP-1 cells are derived from the peripheral blood of men with acute monocytic leukemia. These cells have been extensively studied and are widely employed as an in vitro model to investigate various aspects of monocyte/macrophage biology, immunology, and disease processes.

Key Biological Features of THP-1 Cells

• Human origin: Derived from a human acute monocytic leukemia patient, THP-1 cells naturally express relevant receptors such as TLRs, CD14, and Fc receptors, ensuring biological relevance for immunological assays.
• Stable genotype and phenotype: Long-term culture does not compromise their differentiation potential or innate immune signaling pathways, allowing consistent results in long-term or high-throughput studies.
• High responsiveness: THP-1 cells respond robustly to external stimuli like PMA, LPS, IFN-γ, and IL-4, enabling efficient and reproducible polarization into M0, M1, or M2 macrophage subtypes.

Practical Advantages of THP-1 Cells

• Ease of handling: As suspension cells, THP-1 cells are easy to expand and maintain under standard culture conditions, making them cost-effective for routine laboratory use.
• Scalability: Their rapid proliferation supports large-scale macrophage production, ideal for high-throughput drug screening, toxicity studies, and systems biology applications.
• Genetic manipulability: THP-1 cells are suitable for gene knockout/knockdown, reporter assays, and pathway analysis.

With Creative Biolabs' expert-driven THP-1 macrophage model platform, researchers can gain a biologically meaningful yet experimentally controllable in vitro system to streamline their immunological investigations and drug development programs.

THP-1-based Macrophage Model Development Service at Creative Biolabs

Creative Biolabs creates THP-1 macrophage models by differentiating THP-1 cells into macrophage-like cells based on a one-stop solution related to macrophage therapy. In addition, we evaluate their behavior and function in vitro based on your research needs.

• Differentiation of THP-1 Cells into Macrophage

• Functional Assays

Creative Biolabs offers phagocytosis assays to assess the phagocytic capacity of differentiated THP-1 macrophages, cytokine production assays, cell-pathogen interactions, drug screening, and immunomodulation to assess cell viability, cytokine production, or other functions.

• Data Analysis

In addition to THP-1 macrophage models, Creative Biolabs also provides appropriate statistical methods to help you analyze experimental data to compare different experimental conditions, treatments, or time points.

At Creative Biolabs, our standardized macrophage differentiation process ensures high fidelity and reproducibility. We tailor the protocol according to your research goals, whether you require resting macrophages, M1 pro-inflammatory macrophages, or M2 anti-inflammatory subtypes.

Table 1 Our THP-1 macrophage model workflow

We understand that different applications require different macrophage subtypes. Creative Biolabs provides tailored polarization services to suit your downstream assays.

Related Products

In the course of providing THP-1-based macrophage model development services, we are keenly aware of the market demand for high-quality and reliable macrophage products. Therefore, we have launched a series of related macrophage products to further fulfill the needs of researchers.

Service Features

Superior Reproducibility

By standardizing differentiation protocols and employing batch-controlled THP-1 stocks, we deliver highly consistent results across experiments.

Flexible Polarization Protocols

We offer fully customizable M0, M1, and M2 polarization workflows, supporting precise modeling of various immunological microenvironments.

High Throughput Compatibility

Large-batch preparation guarantees uniform macrophage populations across assay plates, reducing experimental noise and increasing analytical throughput.

Multi-format Delivery Options

To meet different research needs, we provide THP-1 macrophages in various forms.

Cost-effective and Time-saving

Compared to primary human macrophage isolation and differentiation, there is no need for PBMC isolation and minimal hands-on time with ready-to-use formats.

Amenable to Genetic Manipulation

THP-1 cells can be easily modified, making them ideal for studying gene function, pathway modulation, and immune editing strategies.

Publications

Human THP-1 monocytes are incubated to differentiate into macrophages in the presence of PMA. Differentiation of monocytes into macrophages was confirmed by immunofluorescence staining analysis. In addition, the expression of CD14 decreases with macrophage differentiation, which also confirms differentiation.

Fig.1 THP-1 monocytes differentiate into macrophages.^1,2

Scientific Resources

Learn More Macrophage Biology

Download Macrophages Development

Learn More Monocyte-Macrophage Development Process

Learn More Macrophage-related Experimental Protocols

Q & A

Q: Does the model support customization? Can it be integrated with customer-supplied stimuli or drugs?

A: Yes. Creative Biolabs' THP-1 macrophage model development services fully support customization, including:

• Induction protocol customization (stimulus type, concentration, time)
• Co-stimulation or multi-pathway linkage design
• Co-drug or small molecule treatment
• Co-culture system establishment

Customers can provide specific research background or expected goals, we will optimize the model design according to the actual needs.

Q: Why choose THP-1 cells?

A: THP-1 is a continuous cell line derived from human acute monocytic leukemia and is widely used to construct human-derived macrophage models. Compared with primary macrophages, THP-1 cells have the following significant advantages:

• THP-1 cells are of stable origin and can be continuously passed on
• THP-1 macrophage models better mimic human immune-related responses
• Easy to induce differentiation
• Can be used for high-throughput screening

Q: Does Creative Biolabs offer long-term maintenance or continuous supply of models?

A: We provide continuous cell model support services for our long-term project customers, including:

• Periodic batches of differentiated and frozen THP-1 macrophages
• Phased delivery by project stage

Q: Are you able to co-culture THP-1 macrophage models with tumor models?

A: Yes, we support co-culturing the THP-1 model with a variety of tumor cell lines (e.g., A549, MCF-7, HCT116, etc.) to construct tumor immune microenvironment simulation models for research purposes.

References

1. Genin, Marie, et al. "M1 and M2 macrophages derived from THP-1 cells differentially modulate the response of cancer cells to etoposide." BMC cancer 15 (2015): 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-015-1546-9
2. Distributed under Open Access license CC BY 4.0, without modification.