Multivalent aptamer engineered and functionalized NK cells for enhanced adoptive immunotherapy in CD30-positive...

Area of Science:

• Immunotherapy
• Molecular Biology
• Oncology

Background:

• Adoptive cell therapy, particularly chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-NK cells, shows promise for hematological malignancies.
• CAR-NK cells offer advantages over CAR-T cells, avoiding cytokine release syndrome and graft-versus-host disease.
• Challenges remain for CAR-NK cell therapy, including operational complexity, cost, and safety concerns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer NK cells with tumor-specific targeting capabilities using aptamers.
• To enhance the therapeutic efficacy of NK cells against CD30-positive lymphoma.
• To explore a novel aptamer-guided NK cell strategy for clinical applications.

Main Methods:

• Designed a multivalent aptamer oligonucleotide complex with CD30 aptamers.
• Functionalized NK cells with the aptamer complex using click chemistry.
• Evaluated the binding specificity and antitumor effects of engineered NK cells in vitro and in vivo.

Main Results:

• Engineered NK cells specifically bound to CD30-positive lymphoma cells.
• Aptamer-guided NK cells demonstrated enhanced antitumor activity compared to parental NK cells.
• The approach showed significant therapeutic potential in both in vitro and in vivo models.

Conclusions:

• The developed aptamer-functionalized NK cells provide specific targeting for CD30-positive lymphoma.
• This strategy enhances adoptive NK cell therapy efficiency for malignant lymphoma.
• The approach holds substantial potential for clinical translation in lymphoma treatment.