Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 3, 2025

In Vivo Immunogenicity Screening of Tumor-Derived Extracellular Vesicles by Flow Cytometry of Splenic T Cells
08:02

In Vivo Immunogenicity Screening of Tumor-Derived Extracellular Vesicles by Flow Cytometry of Splenic T Cells

Published on: September 23, 2021

2.8K

Natural Killer Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles: Novel Players in Cancer Immunotherapy

Feifeng Wu1, Min Xie1, Marady Hun1

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.

Frontiers in Immunology
|June 7, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Natural killer cell-derived extracellular vesicles (NKEVs) are potent immune mediators. These NKEVs exhibit antitumor properties and hold promise for innovative cancer immunotherapy strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • Natural killer (NK) cells are crucial for innate immunity against tumors and viral infections.
  • Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are increasingly recognized for their role in NK cell antitumor activity.
  • NK cell-derived EVs (NKEVs) possess cytotoxic and immunomodulatory functions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the biological effects of NKEVs on antitumor immunity.
  • To explore the potential applications of NKEVs in cancer immunotherapy.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on NKEVs and their mechanisms.
  • Analysis of NKEV cargo (cytotoxic proteins, microRNAs, cytokines).
  • Evaluation of NKEV's immunomodulatory and anti-tumor effects.

Main Results:

  • NKEVs utilize multiple mechanisms to eliminate tumor cells.
  • NKEVs can modulate the immune microenvironment and reverse immune suppression.
  • NKEVs contribute to NK-mediated immune surveillance against tumors.

Conclusions:

  • NKEVs are a promising therapeutic tool for cancer immunotherapy.
  • Understanding NKEV functions can lead to novel treatment strategies.
  • NKEVs play a significant role in host defense and immune regulation.
Keywords:
cancercell-free therapyextracellular vesicleimmunotherapynatural killer cell

More Related Videos

Scalable Biomanufacturing Workflow to Produce and Isolate Natural Killer Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicle-Based Cancer Biotherapeutics08:50

Scalable Biomanufacturing Workflow to Produce and Isolate Natural Killer Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicle-Based Cancer Biotherapeutics

Published on: August 16, 2024

1.0K
Enhancing Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Extracellular Vesicles (CAR-EV) Technology: The Future of Cancer Therapy07:33

Enhancing Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Extracellular Vesicles (CAR-EV) Technology: The Future of Cancer Therapy

Published on: September 19, 2025

345

Related Concept Videos

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.
791
Cancer Vaccines01:30

Cancer Vaccines

Cancer treatment vaccines are a rapidly evolving field that offers a promising approach to immunotherapy. Unlike traditional vaccines that prevent diseases, cancer treatment vaccines are designed to treat existing cancers by stimulating the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.
Cancer vaccines come in two categories: preventive (prophylactic) and treatment (active). Preventive vaccines, such as the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, protect against viruses that cause certain...
592
Overview of Exosomes01:36

Overview of Exosomes

Exosomes are stable, lipid bilayer-enclosed vesicles capable of crossing biological barriers. They can carry a wide range of molecules required for intercellular communication. Once exosomes are released from the cell where they originated, they enter a recipient cell through various pathways such as fusion, receptor-mediated endocytosis, macropinocytosis, and phagocytosis.
Stahl et al. discovered exosomes in 1983, but the exosomes were initially considered waste products released from the...
3.1K
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...
5.4K
Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance02:40

Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance

Early diagnosis and treatment can often cure cancer. However, even with treatment, residual cells called cancer stem cells (CSC) might remain, often causing tumor recurrence. These cancer stem cells possess the potential for self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation and are often responsible for the therapeutic resistance displayed in most cancers.
Cancer stem cells are thought to originate from tissue-specific normal stem cells or progenitor cells. The normal stem cells usually reside in...
5.2K