Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are lymphocytes of the innate immune system. A key feature of NK cells is their ability to recognize a wide range of cells in distress, particularly tumour cells and cells infected with viruses. They combine both direct effector functions against their cellular targets and participate in the generation, shaping and maintenance of a multicellular immune response. As our understanding has deepened, several therapeutic strategies focused on NK cells have been conceived and are currently in various stages of development, from preclinical investigations to clinical trials. Here we explore in detail the complexity of NK cell biology in humans and highlight the role of these cells in cancer immunity. We also analyse the harnessing of NK cell immunity through immune checkpoint inhibitors, NK cell engagers, and infusions of preactivated or genetically modified, autologous or allogeneic NK cell products.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the colleagues at Innate-Pharma and CIML for help and advice, and M.-A. Rarivoson and K. Lam for help in the preparation of the manuscript. The E.V. laboratory at CIML and Assistance-Publique des Hôpitaux de Marseille was supported by funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (TILC, grant agreement no. 694502), the Agence Nationale de la Recherche including the PIONEER Project (ANR-17-RHUS-0007), MSDAvenir, Innate Pharma, and institutional grants awarded to the CIML (INSERM, CNRS and Aix-Marseille University) and Marseille Immunopole.
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E.V. and S.C. are employees of Innate Pharma. R.Y.I. and V.R.F. are employees of SANOFI. The other authors declare no competing interests.
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Vivier, E., Rebuffet, L., Narni-Mancinelli, E. et al. Natural killer cell therapies. Nature 626, 727–736 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06945-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06945-1
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