New opportunities in cancer therapy: CAR-NK cells against solid tumors | Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology

In recent years, gene-modified immune cell-based cancer therapies have revolutionized the treatment of hematologic malignancies. However, this approach still faces significant challenges when applied to solid tumors, such as breast, lung, or colorectal cancer. A promising alternative is using natural killer (NK) cells, which effectively target tumor cells while causing fewer side effects than T cells.
Our research team has developed NK cells that express specialized targeting molecules known as chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). These receptors enable NK cells to recognize and kill tumor cells presenting the HER2 tumor-specific molecule. In vitro, we found that these genetically modified NK cells successfully recognized and eliminated HER2-positive tumor cells. In animal models, we observed that these gene-modified effector cells were particularly effective in reducing the size of tumors with low expression of CD44, a key component of the tumor matrix that influences targeting efficiency.
Beyond demonstrating the therapeutic potential of CAR-NK cells, our findings highlight the crucial role of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in the tumor microenvironment of solid cancers. A deeper understanding of the ECM’s composition and complex structure could aid in further developing gene-modified immunotherapies and contribute to creating more effective cancer treatment solutions.
 
The results of this study were published in the Cancers Journal (MDPI).

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