Open AccessThe NK cell–cancer cycle: advances and new challenges in NK cell–based immunotherapies
Author(s) -
Tobias Bald,
Matthew F. Krummel,
Mark J. Smyth,
Kevin C. Barry
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
nature immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 9.074
H-Index - 388
eISSN - 1529-2916
pISSN - 1529-2908
DOI - 10.1038/s41590-020-0728-z
Subject(s) - tumor microenvironment , immune system , biology , adoptive cell transfer , cancer immunotherapy , immunology , cancer research , cell , natural killer cell , cancer cell , immunotherapy , cancer , t cell , cytotoxic t cell , in vitro , biochemistry , genetics
Natural killer (NK) cells belong to the innate immune system and contribute to protecting the host through killing of infected, foreign, stressed or transformed cells. Additionally, via cellular cross-talk, NK cells orchestrate antitumor immune responses. Hence, significant efforts have been undertaken to exploit the therapeutic properties of NK cells in cancer. Current strategies in preclinical and clinical development include adoptive transfer therapies, direct stimulation, recruitment of NK cells into the tumor microenvironment (TME), blockade of inhibitory receptors that limit NK cell functions, and therapeutic modulation of the TME to enhance antitumor NK cell function. In this Review, we introduce the NK cell-cancer cycle to highlight recent advances in NK cell biology and to discuss the progress and problems of NK cell-based cancer immunotherapies.