Stimulating natural killer cells to protect against cancer: recent developments

Abstract

Current cancer immunotherapies have begun to target cell types involved in innate immunity, such as natural killer (NK) cells that recognize and kill tumor cells. Recent advances in the study of NK cell biology have generated interest in manipulating these cells to generate anti-tumor responses. A rise in the number of activated NK cells has been shown to prevent and treat cancer in many preclinical models and is a positive clinical factor in human tumors. This article will focus on recent research on the ability of IL-15 and Toll-like receptor ligands to stimulate NK cell activity against cancer. The potential of these therapies, both alone and in conjunction with traditional and other vaccine platforms, will be reviewed. The current status of these therapies in clinical trials will also be discussed. Targeting these cell types in the context of human cancers may be an essential factor in future cancer treatments.

Keywords::

• cancer
• IL-15
• immunotherapy
• NK cells
• TLR agonists

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors’ work was supported by the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, Ontario Chapter and the Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) Charles and Frederik Banting PhD Award. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.