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Research Progress of Nanomaterials Acting on NK Cells in Tumor Immunotherapy and Imaging
Yachan Feng1, Haojie Zhang1, Jiangtao Shao1
1College of Food Science and Biology, Hebei University of Science and Technology, Shijiazhuang 050018, China.
Abstract:
The prognosis for cancer patients has declined dramatically in recent years due to the challenges in treating malignant tumors. Tumor immunotherapy, which includes immune target inhibition and chimeric antigen receptor cell treatment, is currently evolving quickly. Among them, natural killer (NK) cells are gradually becoming another preferred cell immunotherapy after T cell immunotherapy due to their unique killing effects in innate and adaptive immunity. NK cell therapy has shown encouraging outcomes in clinical studies; however, there are still some problems, including limited efficacy in solid tumors, inadequate NK cell penetration, and expensive treatment expenses. Noteworthy benefits of nanomaterials include their chemical specificity, biocompatibility, and ease of manufacturing; these make them promising instruments for enhancing NK cell anti-tumor immune responses. Nanomaterials can promote NK cell homing and infiltration, participate in NK cell modification and non-invasive cell tracking and imaging modes, and greatly increase the effectiveness of NK cell immunotherapy. The introduction of NK cell-based immunotherapy research and a more detailed discussion of nanomaterial research in NK cell-based immunotherapy and molecular imaging will be the main topics of this review.
Insights
Natural killer (NK) cell immunotherapy shows promise for cancer treatment but faces challenges. Nanomaterials offer a novel approach to enhance NK cell therapy efficacy, targeting solid tumors and improving immune responses.
Area of Science:
- Immunology and Cancer Therapy
- Biomedical Engineering and Nanotechnology
Background:
- Cancer treatment prognosis has worsened due to challenges in treating malignant tumors.
- Tumor immunotherapy, including immune target inhibition and CAR T-cell therapy, is rapidly advancing.
- Natural killer (NK) cells are emerging as a preferred immunotherapy due to their unique immune functions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current state of NK cell-based immunotherapy for cancer.
- To explore the role of nanomaterials in enhancing NK cell anti-tumor immune responses.
- To discuss nanomaterial applications in NK cell modification, tracking, and imaging.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on NK cell immunotherapy and nanomaterial applications.
- Analysis of nanomaterials' properties for enhancing NK cell homing, infiltration, and modification.
- Discussion of nanomaterial-based molecular imaging techniques for NK cell tracking.
Main Results:
- NK cell therapy shows encouraging clinical outcomes but faces limitations in solid tumors.
- Nanomaterials offer significant benefits, including chemical specificity, biocompatibility, and ease of manufacturing.
- Nanomaterials can improve NK cell homing, infiltration, modification, and enable non-invasive tracking.
Conclusions:
- Nanomaterials hold great potential for overcoming current limitations in NK cell immunotherapy.
- Integrating nanomaterials can significantly enhance the effectiveness of NK cell-based cancer treatments.
- Further research into nanomaterial-enhanced NK cell therapy and molecular imaging is warranted.
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