Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 31, 2026

Flow Cytometry-based Assay for the Monitoring of NK Cell Functions
08:17

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

Published on: October 30, 2016

22.0K

Exploiting NK Cell Surveillance Pathways for Cancer Therapy

Alexander David Barrow1, Marco Colonna2

  • 1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia. alexanderdav@unimelb.edu.au.

Cancers
|January 11, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Natural killer (NK) cells combat tumors using specialized receptors to detect malignancy. Understanding these NK cell receptors is key to developing new cancer immunotherapies.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • Natural killer (NK) cells possess potent anti-tumor activity mediated by cell-surface receptors.
  • These receptors monitor the microenvironment for signs of infection or malignancy.
  • Tight regulation of NK cell receptor function is crucial to prevent autoimmunity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advances in NK cell receptor biology.
  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms NK cells use to distinguish malignant from healthy cells.
  • To highlight the clinical application of NK cell recognition strategies in cancer immunotherapy.

Main Methods:

  • Review of fundamental NK cell receptor biology.
  • Analysis of molecular strategies for tumor recognition by NK cells.
  • Examination of current cancer immunotherapies leveraging NK cell functions.

Main Results:

  • Breakthroughs in understanding NK cell receptor biology have been achieved.
  • Molecular strategies employed by NK cells to identify malignant cells are increasingly understood.
  • NK cell recognition mechanisms are being actively translated into clinical cancer therapies.

Conclusions:

  • Advances in NK cell receptor biology offer new insights into tumor surveillance.
  • Harnessing NK cell recognition pathways presents a promising avenue for novel cancer immunotherapies.
Keywords:
ADCCNK cellactivationantibodycancercytotoxicityimmunotherapyinhibitionligandreceptor

More Related Videos

Generation of Knock-out Primary and Expanded Human NK Cells Using Cas9 Ribonucleoproteins07:20

Generation of Knock-out Primary and Expanded Human NK Cells Using Cas9 Ribonucleoproteins

Published on: June 14, 2018

13.1K
A New Technique for Treating Low-risk Prostate Cancer—Super Active Surveillance05:19

A New Technique for Treating Low-risk Prostate Cancer—Super Active Surveillance

Published on: November 7, 2025

845

Related Concept Videos

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...
8.7K
Cancer Therapies02:49

Cancer Therapies

Cancer therapies are various modes of treatment, such as surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy that are administered to cancer patients.
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...
10.2K
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...
8.9K
Principles of Disease Surveillance01:26

Principles of Disease Surveillance

Disease surveillance is the systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of health data essential to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health practice. This process integrates data dissemination to entities responsible for preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability. Surveillance systems provide crucial information for action, helping public health authorities make informed decisions to manage and prevent outbreaks, ensure public safety, optimize...
542
C4 Pathway and CAM01:27

C4 Pathway and CAM

Most plants use the C3 pathway for carbon fixation. However, some plants, such as sugar cane, corn, and cacti that grow in hot conditions, use alternative pathways to fix carbon and conserve energy loss due to photorespiration. Photorespiration is the process that occurs when the oxygen concentration is high. Under such conditions, the rubisco enzyme in the Calvin cycle binds O2 instead of CO2, which halts photosynthesis and consumes energy.
C4 Pathway
The C4 pathway is used by plants such as...
49.1K
Gene Therapy00:59

Gene Therapy

Gene therapy is a technique where a gene is inserted into a person’s cells to prevent or treat a serious disease. The added gene may be a healthy version of the gene that is mutated in the patient, or it could be a different gene that inactivates or compensates for the patient’s disease-causing gene. For example, in patients with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) due to a mutation in the gene for the enzyme adenosine deaminase, a functioning version of the gene can be...
27.6K