Harnessing Natural Killer Cell Antitumor Immunity: From the Bench to Bedside

Natural killer (NK) cells are critical effector lymphocytes mediating tumor immune surveillance and clearance. They do so by direct tumor killing using cytolytic granules and death receptors, and by interfacing with and potentiating adaptive immune responses through the production of cytokines. From...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCancer immunology research Vol. 7; no. 11; p. 1742
Main Authors Woan, Karrune V, Miller, Jeffrey S
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.11.2019
Subjects
Animals
Cell Survival
Cytokines - immunology
Cytokines - therapeutic use
Humans
Immunotherapy, Adoptive
Killer Cells, Lymphokine-Activated - immunology
Killer Cells, Lymphokine-Activated - transplantation
Killer Cells, Natural - cytology
Killer Cells, Natural - immunology
Killer Cells, Natural - transplantation
Lymphocyte Activation
Neoplasms - immunology
Neoplasms - therapy
Tumor Microenvironment
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Summary:Natural killer (NK) cells are critical effector lymphocytes mediating tumor immune surveillance and clearance. They do so by direct tumor killing using cytolytic granules and death receptors, and by interfacing with and potentiating adaptive immune responses through the production of cytokines. From a therapeutic perspective, NK cells have been shown to exert graft-versus-leukemia activity in the context of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and are important in the clinical efficacy of antibodies. Advances in basic and translational NK cell biology have led to multiple potential strategies to augment their activity to improve antitumor responses. Despite their potent effects, NK cells have been shown to be safe for adoptive cell therapy in both the autologous and allogeneic settings, with promising, but so far limited, clinical efficacy. This review will provide an overview of strategies being pursued to improve NK cell activity and efficacy, focusing on cell source, NK cell activation, and persistence.
ISSN:2326-6074
DOI:10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-19-0404