We've published a techniques paper that addresses sample handling and other issues for macaque CFC (Link to PubMed abstract). Here are answers to a few common questions:
How should samples best be handled, if they can't be stimulated on the day of harvest? We suggest isolating PBMC on the day of harvest (BD CPT tubes work well for this), shipping the PBMC overnight, and stimulating the next day. Stimulations can be done in a timed water bath, cooling to <18 C after the desired stimulation time of 6-10 hours, with processing done the next day.
What about plates versus tubes? For human PBMC, we routinely use 96-well plates and the results are just as good as in tubes (see Download suniplate_cfcbmci.pdf). We haven't yet done the comparison with non-human primate cells.
What are the best cytokines to monitor? In general, in rhesus: TNFa > IFNg > IL-2. We haven't tried Th2 cytokines much. The clones are important, especially for IFNg, where the B27 clone from BD Pharmingen is much superior to any others we've tested.