Cell staining CEM cells (1.7 × 10 6 cells) were diluted in 2 mL WB. CellTracker Green (2 μL; Invitrogen) was incubated with cells for 45 min at room temperature, according to manufacturer's instructions. The cells were centrifuged at 970 rpm for 3 min to remove excess dye, resuspended in 1 mL WB, and incubated for 30 min at 37°C. The cell solution was centrifuged at 970 rpm for 3 min, and the supernatant liquid was discarded. The pellet was washed with 1 mL of BB2, centrifuged at 970 rpm for 3

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... in, then resuspended in 100 μL BB. This cell solution was kept on ice until needed. Removal of red blood cells Red blood cells were removed from human whole blood (Innovative Research) by separation by Ficoll-Paque (GE Healthcare). Ficoll-Paque is a density gradient centrifugation medium that separates blood into 4 main layers: the top layer consists of the plasma, followed by the buffy coat, the Ficoll layer, and the red blood cells concentrated at the bottom of the tube. The buffy coat contains the white