Abstract

Immunotherapy has rapidly evolved in the past decades in the battle against cancer. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T cells have demonstrated significant success in certain hematologic malignancies, although they still face certain limitations, including high costs and toxic effects. Natural killer cells (NK cells), as a vital component of the immune system, serve as the “first responders” in the context of cancer development. In this literature review, we provide an updated understanding of NK cell development, functions, and their applications in disease therapy. Furthermore, we explore the rationale for utilizing engineered NK cell therapies, such as CAR-NK cells, and discuss the differences between CAR-T and CAR-NK cells. We also provide insights into the key elements and strategies involved in CAR design for engineered NK cells. In addition, we highlight the challenges currently encountered and discuss the future directions in NK cell research and utilization, including pre-clinical investigations and ongoing clinical trials. Based on the outstanding antitumor potential of NK cells, it is highly likely that they will lead to groundbreaking advancements in cancer treatment in the future.

Details

Title
Chimeric antigen receptor-based natural killer cell immunotherapy in cancer: from bench to bedside
Author
Zhang, Beibei 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Yang, Mengzhe 2 ; Zhang, Weiming 3 ; Liu, Ning 4 ; Wang, Daogang 5 ; Jing, Liangfang 6 ; Xu, Ning 7 ; Yang, Na 8 ; Ren, Tao 9 

 Yunnan University, Institute of Biomedical Research, Kunming, China (GRID:grid.440773.3) (ISNI:0000 0000 9342 2456) 
 Graduate School of Capital Medical University, Beijing, China (GRID:grid.24696.3f) (ISNI:0000 0004 0369 153X) 
 Wuming Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Department of Oncology, Nanning, China (GRID:grid.256607.0) (ISNI:0000 0004 1798 2653) 
 Huazhong University of Science and Technology Union Shenzhen Hospital, Department of Hematology, Shenzhen, China (GRID:grid.33199.31) (ISNI:0000 0004 0368 7223) 
 The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Department of Gastroenterology, Nanning, China (GRID:grid.511973.8) 
 Women and Children’s Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Department of Neonatology, Nanning, China (GRID:grid.410652.4) (ISNI:0000 0004 6003 7358) 
 The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Department of Clinical Medicine, Nanning, China (GRID:grid.412594.f) 
 The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Department of Ultrasound, Yunnan, China (GRID:grid.415444.4) (ISNI:0000 0004 1800 0367) 
 The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Department of Oncology, Nanning, China (GRID:grid.412594.f) 
Pages
50
Publication year
2024
Publication date
Jan 2024
Publisher
Springer Nature B.V.
e-ISSN
20414889
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2914338776
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2024. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.