NK cell-based cancer immunotherapy: from basic biology to clinical development

2021/01/06 by Sizhe Liu, Vasiliy Galat, Yekaterina Galat +3 · 7 citations
Immunology and Microbiology · Medicine · #CAR-T cell therapy research #Immune Cell Function and Interaction #T-cell and B-cell Immunology

paper · pdf · doi:10.1186/s13045-020-01014-w

openalex publication_date 2021/01/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30

Abstract

Natural killer (NK) cell is a specialized immune effector cell type that plays a critical role in immune activation against abnormal cells. Different from events required for T cell activation, NK cell activation is governed by the interaction of NK receptors with target cells, independent of antigen processing and presentation. Due to relatively unsophisticated cues for activation, NK cell has gained significant attention in the field of cancer immunotherapy. Many efforts are emerging for developing and engineering NK cell-based cancer immunotherapy. In this review, we provide our current understandings of NK cell biology, ongoing pre-clinical and clinical development of NK cell-based therapies and discuss the progress, challenges, and future perspectives.

Citations

• NK Cells Stimulate Recruitment of cDC1 into the Tumor Microenvironment Promoting Cancer Immune Control
• Cytokines in clinical cancer immunotherapy
• Exploring the NK cell platform for cancer immunotherapy

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• Nanoparticle-mediated efficient up-regulation of GSDMD-N to induce pyroptosis and enhance NK cell-based cancer immunotherapy
• Optimizing the procedure for manufacturing clinical-grade genetically manipulated natural killer cells for adoptive immunotherapy
• DNAM-1 mediates NK-cell activation and host-pathogen interaction via direct binding to fungal cell wall proteases
• TGF-β in tumor development and progression: mechanisms and therapeutics

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