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Natural killer cell–directed therapies: moving from unexpected results to successful strategies

Nature Immunology volume 9, pages 486–494 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Natural killer (NK) cells influence innate and adaptive immune host defenses. Existing data indicate that manipulating the balance between inhibitory and activating NK receptor signals, the sensitivity of target cells to NK cell-mediated apoptosis, and NK cell cross-talk with dendritic cells might hold therapeutic promise. Efforts to modulate NK cell trafficking into inflamed tissues and/or lymph nodes, and to counteract NK cell suppressors, might also prove fruitful in the clinic. However, deeper investigation into the benefits of combination therapy, greater understanding of the functional distinctions between NK cell subsets, and design of new tools to monitor NK cell activity are needed to strengthen our ability to harness the power of NK cells for therapeutic aims.

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Figure 1: Strategies to harness NK cell functions in cancer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. INSERM, U805, Institut Gustave Roussy, Institut Gustave Roussy, 39 Rue Camille Desmoulins, Paris, F-94805 Villejuif, France

    Magali Terme, Evelyn Ullrich, Nicolas F Delahaye & Laurence Zitvogel

  2. Institut Gustave Roussy, Institut Gustave Roussy, 39 Rue Camille Desmoulins, Paris, F-94805 Villejuif, France

    Magali Terme, Evelyn Ullrich, Nicolas F Delahaye, Nathalie Chaput & Laurence Zitvogel

  3. Centres d'Investigation Cliniques BT507, Institut Gustave Roussy, 39 Rue Camille Desmoulins, Paris, F-94805 Villejuif, France

    Nathalie Chaput & Laurence Zitvogel

  4. Faculté de Médecine Paris Sud-Université Paris XI, 63 rue Gabriel Péri, Le Kremlin, 94276, Bicêtre Cedex, France

    Laurence Zitvogel

Authors
  1. Magali Terme
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  2. Evelyn Ullrich
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  3. Nicolas F Delahaye
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  4. Nathalie Chaput
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  5. Laurence Zitvogel
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Laurence Zitvogel.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Terme, M., Ullrich, E., Delahaye, N. et al. Natural killer cell–directed therapies: moving from unexpected results to successful strategies. Nat Immunol 9, 486–494 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/ni1580

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