Natural Killer Cell Therapy
October 24, 2024
This page was reviewed under our medical and editorial policy by Alexis Boling, MSN-RN, CNML, director, nursing, Immune Effector Cell & Gene Therapy Program, City of Hope® Cancer Center Duarte
Natural killer cell therapy is a newer type of immunotherapy that may be used to treat cancer that is now in clinical trials. Immunotherapy harnesses a person’s own immune system to fight diseases.
Natural killer cells (also called NK cells) are part of the body’s own immune system, which is the body’s first line of general defense against invaders, such as bacteria and viruses, and abnormal cells.
What Are Natural Killer Cells?
An NK cell is a type of white blood cell whose role is to identify and destroy cells infected with viruses as well as other abnormal cells, such as cancer cells.
NK Cells Versus T Cells
NK cells and T cells are different types of white blood cells that support the immune system. Both help the body fight infection and cancer. NK cells are part of what is known as the innate immune system, while T cells are part of the adaptive immune system.
Innate immunity exists from birth through the lifespan. NK cells are able to do a general sweep throughout the body, identify a threat, and immediately respond without being told to do so. They are not limited to specific threats, so they respond to any targets of interest. They are also able to work with and activate other immune cells.
Adaptive immunity develops over time as the body responds to specific invaders or vaccines. T cells are able to remember the features of previous invaders in order to prevent disease in the future. The adaptive immune system generally needs to be activated before it goes to work. For example, NK cells may activate T cells in response to a threat. Once activated, the adaptive immune system works with the innate immune system to destroy the affected cells.
How Does NK Cell Therapy Work?
NK cell function is compromised in the presence of cancer. NK cell therapy aims to boost levels of enhanced NK cells in cancer patients. A benefit of NK cell therapy is that it may be allogeneic, meaning that the laboratory may use donated blood rather than the patient’s own for treatment. This option makes the treatment readily available for use.
Before the patient receives the treatment, a laboratory will:
- Isolate the NK cells from the blood
- Build up the NK cells’ survival and ability to destroy cancer cells
- Increase the number of NK cells present
Then, the patient receives the modified NK cells through a blood infusion.
CAR NK Cell Therapy
NK cell therapy may be used on its own for treatment or further altered to target specific cancer cells. A subset of NK cell therapy is chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) NK cell therapy. CARs are man-made receptors that are designed to bind with certain proteins on cancer cells. Through this type of therapy, the lab further modifies the NK cells to recognize certain cancer cells by expressing CARs. CAR NK cell therapy boosts the NK cell attack on specific types of cancer cells.
Side Effects of Natural Killer Cell Therapy
Common side effects of NK cell therapy may include chills, fever, headache and high blood pressure (hypertension). Most symptoms are mild and readily treatable.
Natural Killer Cell Therapy at City of Hope
Researchers at City of Hope are at the leading edge of natural killer cell therapy innovations and clinical trials. Our scientists are constantly evaluating new options and improving the efficacy of existing NK cell therapies to develop more powerful cancer treatments.
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