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Related Concept Videos

Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response01:27

Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response

Cytotoxic T cells are a vital component of the immune system. They have the remarkable ability to identify and target antigens on infected or abnormal cells. These antigens often originate from intracellular pathogens such as viruses or abnormal proteins cancer cells produce.
Immunological surveillance is the ability of immune cells to monitor and eliminate infected cells with intracellular pathogens, neoplastically transformed cells, and cells with non-self antigens. Cytotoxic T cells and NK...
Cells of the Innate Immune Response01:28

Cells of the Innate Immune Response

The innate immune response is an immediate and non-specific response against pathogens, acting swiftly to prevent the spread of infections. The primary cells involved in this response are phagocytes and natural killer (NK) cells.
Phagocytes
Phagocytes police the peripheral tissues by removing cellular debris and responding to the invasion of foreign substances or pathogens. Many phagocytes attack and remove microorganisms even before lymphocytes detect them. The human body has two general...
Tumor Immunotherapy01:27

Tumor Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a treatment that boosts or manipulates the immune system to fight diseases, including cancer. For instance, by stimulating an immune response through vaccinations against viruses that cause cancers, like hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus, these diseases can be prevented. Nonetheless, some cancer cells can avoid the immune system due to their rapid mutation and division. The immune response to many cancers involves three phases: elimination, equilibrium, and escape.
Immune Surveillance by NK Cells and Phagocytes01:25

Immune Surveillance by NK Cells and Phagocytes

Immune surveillance is an integral part of the innate immune system, involving the continuous monitoring of peripheral tissues to detect and respond to pathogens, infected cells, or cancerous cells. This surveillance is conducted primarily by natural killer (NK) cells and phagocytes, which employ distinct but complementary mechanisms to identify and eliminate threats.
Natural Killer Cells: The Fast Responders
NK cells are large granular lymphocytes found in the blood and lymphatic system. These...
Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...
Cancer-Critical Genes II: Tumor Suppressor Genes01:05

Cancer-Critical Genes II: Tumor Suppressor Genes

Genes usually encode proteins necessary for the proper functioning of a healthy cell. Mutations can often cause changes to the gene expression pattern, thereby altering the phenotype.
When the function of certain critical genes, especially those involved in cell cycle regulation and cell growth signaling cascades, gets disrupted, it upsets the cell cycle progression. Such cells with unchecked cell cycles start proliferating uncontrollably and eventually develop into tumors.
Such genes that act...

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Measurement of Natural Killer Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity and Migration in the Context of Hepatic Tumor Cells
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Measurement of Natural Killer Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity and Migration in the Context of Hepatic Tumor Cells

Published on: February 22, 2020

Natural killer cells and tumor control.

Sarah Cooley1, Daniel S Weisdorf

  • 1Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, University of Minnesota Cancer Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.

Current Opinion in Hematology
|September 10, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Natural killer (NK) cells are crucial in hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for fighting cancer and infections. Advances in understanding NK cell biology will improve their use in cancer treatment.

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Flow Cytometry-based Assay for the Monitoring of NK Cell Functions

Published on: October 30, 2016

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Oncology
  • Cellular Therapy

Background:

  • Donor-derived natural killer (NK) cells are vital post-hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), eliminating tumor cells to prevent relapse.
  • NK cells also control infections and mitigate graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD), enhancing clinical outcomes.
  • Understanding NK cell alloreactivity and function is key to optimizing HCT and adoptive cellular therapies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advances in natural killer (NK) cell biology relevant to hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT).
  • To explore the role of NK cells in therapeutic efficacy, including infection control, GVHD, engraftment, and relapse prevention.
  • To highlight how new insights into NK cell function can improve cancer treatment strategies.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent scientific literature on NK cell education, function, and therapeutic applications.
  • Analysis of the impact of activating NK receptors on NK cell education and outcomes.
  • Examination of emerging strategies for modulating NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity.

Main Results:

  • Refined models of NK cell education provide strategies for developing functional alloreactive NK cells.
  • NK cell function is stimulus-dependent, with recent advances clarifying the role of activating NK receptors.
  • Adoptive transfer of NK cells for treating hematopoietic malignancies is expanding, with new methods to enhance NK cell killing under development.

Conclusions:

  • NK cells significantly contribute to the therapeutic success of HCT, influencing infection control, GVHD, engraftment, and relapse.
  • Recent breakthroughs in NK cell biology offer promising avenues for enhancing their application in cancer therapy.