Advances in NK cell production

Establishment of an efficient ex vivo expansion strategy for human natural killer cells stimulated by defined cytokine cocktail and antibodies against natural killer cell activating receptors

“…Several strategies for obtaining large numbers of peripheral blood-derived NK cells have been developed [ 18 ]. We previously reported a highly purified and efficient expansion method for NK cells, i.e., T cell-depleted peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were stimulated under defined cytokine cocktail conditions [ 19 ].…”

TCR-NK Cells: A Novel Source for Adoptive Immunotherapy of Cancer

“…However, the clinical development of TCR-NK cells is not exempt from the major hurdles faced by NK cell-based immunotherapies. For the successful translation of TCRs or otherwise genetically modified NK cells into clinical practice, efforts to optimize ex vivo NK cell expansion [ 64 , 78 ] and genetic modification protocols [ 79 , 80 ] have achieved considerable improvements in recent decades. The NK-92 cell line has been widely used in preclinical and clinical studies to develop novel immunotherapy applications [ 81 , 82 ], but the cost of having to irradiate the cells before infusions may be reflected in decreased activity and a lack of long-term persistence [ 83 ].…”

CAR-cell therapy in the era of solid tumor treatment: current challenges and emerging therapeutic advances

“…Therefore, allogeneic NK cells are usually the first choice for cellular immunotherapy. Furthermore, while T cells are isolated from peripheral blood, either from the patient (autologous) or from a healthy donor (allogeneic), several sources have been used to generate allogeneic CAR-NK cells including peripheral blood (PB) from healthy donors, umbilical cord blood (UCB), induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) or commercially available NK cell lines (NK92) [ 170 ]. Hence, “off-the-shelf” CAR-NK cells can be manufactured and infused to patients on-demand [ 171 ].…”