CAR-NK therapy approaches for targeting the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in solid tumors

Main Article Content

Priya Hays, MS, PhD

Abstract

Background: Adoptive cellular therapies have gained considerable ground while becoming an established form of therapy for hematologic malignancies, now a fifth pillar of treatment after chemotherapy, surgery, radiation and targeted therapies. The most prominent example is chimeric antigen T cell receptor therapies. These therapies have shown superior clinical efficacy in hematologic malignancies, but are less effective against solid tumors. This paper describes the combination of CAR T cells with the innate immune cells natural killer cells in solid tumors in the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.


Results: CAR NK cells have been shown in a number of solid tumors in the context of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment to have clinical efficacy and exhibit superior safety profiles when compared with original CAR T cells. In preclinical models and ongoing clinical studies, anti-tumor activity has been shown in prostate cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, glioblastoma and ovarian cancer that benefits from the inherent cytotoxicity of natural killer cells.


Conclusion: Future studies should focus on using the advantages of CAR NK cells in clinical and translational settings.

Keywords: CAR T cells, Natural Killer Cells, CAR-NK cells, tumor microenvironment, solid tumors

Article Details

How to Cite
HAYS, Priya. CAR-NK therapy approaches for targeting the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in solid tumors. Medical Research Archives, [S.l.], v. 12, n. 10, oct. 2024. ISSN 2375-1924. Available at: <https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/5750>. Date accessed: 03 dec. 2024. doi: https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v12i10.5750.
Section
Research Articles

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