The Prospect of Genetically Engineering Natural Killer Cells for Cancer Immunotherapy

Overview

Journal Biol Open

Specialty Biology

Date 2022 Nov 29

PMID 36445164

Authors

Angie Yu Ching Poon

Ryohichi Sugimura

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The use of natural killer (NK) cells in cancer immunotherapy demonstrates promising potential, yet its efficacy is often limited due to the loss of tumor-killing capacity and lack of specificity in vivo. Here, we review current approaches to confer enhanced tumor-killing capacity and specificity by genetic engineering. Increasing sensitivity to cytokines and protecting NK cells from the immune checkpoint endowed sustainability of NK cells in the tumor microenvironment. Transducing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) in NK cells successfully targeted both hematologic and solid tumors in preclinical models. The use of human pluripotent stem cells as an expandable and genetically amenable platform offers a stable source of engineered NK cells for cancer immunotherapy. We highlight that CAR-NK cells from human pluripotent stem cells are a promising approach for cancer immunotherapy.

Citing Articles

NK cell exhaustion in the tumor microenvironment.

Jia H, Yang H, Xiong H, Luo K Front Immunol. 2023; 14:1303605.

PMID: 38022646 PMC: 10653587. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1303605.

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