Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Assessing Antibody-dependent, Cell-mediated Cytotoxicity in Cancer Cells using Antibody-Dependent Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity Reporter Bioassay
05:21

Assessing Antibody-dependent, Cell-mediated Cytotoxicity in Cancer Cells using Antibody-Dependent Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity Reporter Bioassay

Published on: September 13, 2024

Clinical cancer therapy by NK cells via antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity

Kory L Alderson1, Paul M Sondel

  • 1Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705, USA.

Journal of Biomedicine & Biotechnology
|June 11, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Natural killer (NK) cells enhance cancer immunotherapy using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Further research is needed to optimize NK cell and tumor criteria for predicting clinical response to these novel immunotherapies.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Oncology
  • Biotechnology

Background:

  • Natural killer (NK) cells are crucial immune effectors for eliminating tumor cells.
  • Tumor-targeted monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are clinically established for treating certain cancers.
  • Strategies to enhance NK cell antitumor activity are advancing, with novel reagents showing promise.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of NK cells and mAbs in cancer immunotherapy.
  • To discuss next-generation reagents like immunocytokines (ICs) that augment NK-mediated killing.
  • To highlight the need for research identifying predictive biomarkers for clinical response.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current literature on NK cell biology and mAb-based cancer therapies.
  • Analysis of preclinical and clinical data for novel immunotherapeutic agents.
  • Identification of factors influencing NK cell efficacy against tumors.

Main Results:

  • Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) can direct NK cells to eliminate tumor cells.
  • Next-generation reagents, including immunocytokines (ICs), are emerging to boost NK cell activity.
  • Intrinsic and extrinsic factors significantly impact the antitumor response.

Conclusions:

  • NK cell-targeted mAbs represent a significant advance in cancer immunotherapy.
  • Further research is essential to determine optimal NK cell and tumor criteria for predicting treatment response.
  • Identifying predictive biomarkers will guide the development of combination immunotherapy regimens for specific clinical settings.

More Related Videos

Flow Cytometry-based Assay for the Monitoring of NK Cell Functions08:17

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

Published on: October 30, 2016

Advances in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Expressing Natural Killer Cells11:08

Advances in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Expressing Natural Killer Cells

Published on: February 14, 2025

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...
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.
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...
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...
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...
Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: Neurokinin-1 Receptor Antagonists01:28

Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: Neurokinin-1 Receptor Antagonists

Neurokinin 1 (NK1) receptors are distributed across the GI tract, vagal afferents, and key CNS regions including the central vomiting center and chemoreceptor trigger zone (CTZ) Chemotherapy agents stimulate enterochromaffin cells in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to release large amounts of substance P (SP). SP is a neuropeptide released by specific sensory nerves in response to many different stressors, including those in the GI mucosa affected by chemotherapy.  SP binds and activates these...