Nanoparticle Enhancement of Natural Killer (NK) Cell-Based Immunotherapy

Chimeric antigen receptor-natural killer (CAR-NK) cell immunotherapy: A bibliometric analysis from 2004 to 2023

Chimeric antigen receptor-natural killer (CAR-NK) cells represent a breakthrough in cancer immunotherapy, making this a highly popular research area. However, comprehensive analyses of this field using bibliometric methods are rare. To our knowledge, this study has collected highest number of publications (1,259) on CAR-NK therapy from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2023, and utilized CiteSpace and VOSviewer to analyze regions, institutions, journals, authors, and keywords to forecast the latest trends in CAR-NK therapy research. The United States and China, contributing over 60% of publications, are the primary drivers in this field. The Helmholtz Association and Harvard University are the most active institutions, with most publications appearing in Frontiers in Immunology. Winfried S. Wels is the most prolific author, while EL Liu is the most frequently co-cited author. "Immunotherapy," "T-cells," and "Cancer" are the most extensively covered topics in CAR-NK therapy research. Our study reveals current CAR-NK research trends, identifies potential research hotspots, and visualizes references through bibliometric methods, providing valuable guidance for future research in this field.

Enhancing natural killer cells proliferation and cytotoxicity using imidazole-based lipid nanoparticles encapsulating interleukin-2 mRNA

mRNA applications have undergone unprecedented applications-from vaccination to cell therapy. Natural killer (NK) cells are recognized to have a significant potential in immunotherapy. NK-based cell therapy has drawn attention as allogenic graft with a minimal graft-versus-host risk leading to easier off-the-shelf production. NK cells can be engineered with either viral vectors or electroporation, involving high costs, risks, and toxicity, emphasizing the need for alternative way as mRNA technology. We successfully developed, screened, and optimized novel lipid-based platforms based on imidazole lipids. Formulations are produced by microfluidic mixing and exhibit a size of approximately 100 nm with a polydispersity index of less than 0.2. They are able to transfect NK-92 cells, KHYG-1 cells, and primary NK cells with high efficiency without cytotoxicity, while Lipofectamine Messenger Max and D-Lin-MC3 lipid nanoparticle-based formulations do not. Moreover, the translation of non-modified mRNA was higher and more stable in time compared with a modified one. Remarkably, the delivery of therapeutically relevant interleukin 2 mRNA resulted in extended viability together with preserved activation markers and cytotoxic ability of both NK cell lines and primary NK cells. Altogether, our platforms feature all prerequisites needed for the successful deployment of NK-based therapeutic strategies.

CAR-NK Cell Therapy: A Transformative Approach to Overcoming Oncological Challenges

The use of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) in natural killer (NK) cells for cancer therapy is gaining momentum, marking a significant shift in cancer treatment. This review aims to explore the potential of CAR-NK cell therapy in cancer immunotherapy, providing a fresh perspective. It discusses the innovative approaches in CAR-NK cell design and engineering, particularly targeting refractory or recurrent cancers. By comparing CAR-NK cells with traditional therapies, the review highlights their unique ability to tackle tumor heterogeneity and immune system suppression. Additionally, it explains how novel cytokines and receptors can enhance CAR-NK cell efficacy, specificity, and functionality. This review underscores the advantages of CAR-NK cells, including reduced toxicity, lower cost, and broader accessibility compared to CAR-T cells, along with their potential in treating both blood cancers and solid tumors.

Nanomaterial-Driven Precision Immunomodulation: A New Paradigm in Therapeutic Interventions

Immunotherapy is a rapidly advancing field of research in the treatment of conditions such as cancer and autoimmunity. Nanomaterials can be designed for immune system manipulation, with precise targeted delivery and improved immunomodulatory efficacy. Here, we elaborate on various strategies using nanomaterials, including liposomes, polymers, and inorganic NPs, and discuss their detailed design intricacies, mechanisms, and applications, including the current regulatory issues. This type of nanomaterial design for targeting specific immune cells or tissues and controlling release kinetics could push current technological frontiers and provide new and innovative solutions for immune-related disorders and diseases without off-target effects. These materials enable targeted interactions with immune cells, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of checkpoint inhibitors, cancer vaccines, and adoptive cell therapies. Moreover, they allow for fine-tuning of immune responses while minimizing side effects. At the intersection of nanotechnology and immunology, nanomaterial-based platforms have immense potential to revolutionize patient-centered immunotherapy and reshape disease management. By prioritizing safety, customization, and compliance with regulatory standards, these systems can make significant contributions to precision medicine, thereby significantly impacting the healthcare landscape.

Therapeutic Applications of Nanomedicine: Recent Developments and Future Perspectives

The concept of nanomedicine has evolved significantly in recent decades, leveraging the unique phenomenon known as the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. This has facilitated major advancements in targeted drug delivery, imaging, and individualized therapy through the integration of nanotechnology principles into medicine. Numerous nanomedicines have been developed and applied for disease treatment, with a particular focus on cancer therapy. Recently, nanomedicine has been utilized in various advanced fields, including diagnosis, vaccines, immunotherapy, gene delivery, and tissue engineering. Multifunctional nanomedicines facilitate concurrent medication delivery, therapeutic monitoring, and imaging, allowing for immediate responses and personalized treatment plans. This review concerns the major advancement of nanomaterials and their potential applications in the biological and medical fields. Along with this, we also mention the various clinical translations of nanomedicine and the major challenges that nanomedicine is currently facing to overcome the clinical translation barrier.

Therapeutic restoration of miR-126-3p as a multi-targeted strategy to modulate the liver tumor microenvironment

BACKGROUND

Impaired natural killer (NK) cell-mediated antitumor responses contribute to the growth of liver tumors. Expression of a disintegrin and metalloprotease 9 (ADAM9) increases shedding of membrane-bound major histocompatibility complex class I chain-related protein A and results in evasion from NK cell-mediated cytolysis. ADAM9 is also involved in angiogenesis and tumor progression and is a target of miR-126-3p, a tumor suppressor that is downregulated and alters tumor cell behavior in the liver and other cancers. We evaluated the restoration of miR-126-3p and modulation of the miR-126-3p/ADAM9 axis as a therapeutic approach to simultaneously enhance NK cell-mediated cytolysis while targeting both tumor cells and their microenvironment.

METHODS

Precursor miRNAs were loaded into milk-derived nanovesicles to generate therapeutic vesicles (therapeutic milk-derived nanovesicles) for the restoration of functional miR-126-3p in recipient cancer cells.

RESULTS

Administration of therapeutic milk-derived nanovesicles increased miR-126-3p expression and reduced ADAM9 expression in target cells and was associated with an increase in membrane-bound major histocompatibility complex class I chain-related protein A. This enhanced NK cell cytolysis in adherent tumor cells and in multicellular tumor spheroids while also impairing angiogenesis and modulating macrophage chemotaxis. Moreover, IV administration of therapeutic milk-derived nanovesicles with adoptive transfer of NK cells reduced tumor burden in orthotopic hepatocellular cancer xenografts in mice.

CONCLUSION

A directed RNA therapeutic approach can mitigate NK cell immune evasion, reduce angiogenesis, and alter the tumor cell phenotype through the restoration of miR-126-3p in liver tumor cells. The pleiotropic effects elicited by this multi-targeted approach to modulate the local tumor microenvironment support its use for the treatment of liver cancer.

Efficacy of Chemoimmunotherapy versus Chemotherapy for Gastric Cancer: A Meta-Analysis of Survival Outcomes

BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer has been traditionally treated with chemotherapy as the primary mode of treatment. However, recent studies have shown that chemoimmunotherapy is also effective and, in some cases, better than chemotherapy treatment. Current study aimed to find the efficacy of chemoimmunotherapy versus chemotherapy in the treatment of gastric cancer.

METHODS

Using electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, and EBSCO, a thorough literature search was carried out for the years 2006 to 2023. The search strategy was designed to identify relevant studies based on chemoimmunotherapy and chemotherapy intervention, and the search was conducted using appropriate keywords and MeSH terms. The retrieved studies were screened for relevance based on their titles, abstracts, and full texts. The studies' inclusion criteria were predefined, and the selected studies were then subjected to a quality assessment using GradePro GDT. The data from selected studies were extracted and analyzed using Revman version 5.4.

RESULTS

The study found that chemoimmunotherapy treatment resulted in a significant improvement in overall survival (OS) with a risk ratio (RR) of 1.54 and a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) of 1.25 to 1.89. The overall effect was also found to be significant, with a p-value of less than 0.001. Furthermore, we also observed an improvement in the 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival rates with risk ratio (RR) of 1.09 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.17), 1.43 (95% CI: 1.28, 1.60), and 1.59 (95% CI: 1.10, 2.30), respectively. In addition, it's also found that chemoimmunotherapy treatment also resulted in an improvement in DFS with an RR of 1.94 and a 95% CI of 1.44 to 2.59. Overall, these results suggest that chemoimmunotherapy treatment can be an effective approach in comparison to chemotherapy for improving overall survival and disease-free survival in the studied population.

CONCLUSION

This study comparing chemoimmunotherapy versus chemotherapy for gastric cancer showed that both treatments were effective, but chemoimmunotherapy had more significant efficacy. To support these results, additional studies with a large sample size and a longer follow-up time are required.

Nanoparticle-based immunoengineering strategies for enhancing cancer immunotherapy

Cancer immunotherapy is a groundbreaking strategy that has revolutionized the field of oncology compared to other therapeutic strategies, such as surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy. However, cancer complexity, tumor heterogeneity, and immune escape have become the main hurdles to the clinical application of immunotherapy. Moreover, conventional immunotherapies cause many harmful side effects owing to hyperreactivity in patients, long treatment durations and expensive cost. Nanotechnology is considered a transformative approach that enhances the potency of immunotherapy by capitalizing on the superior physicochemical properties of nanocarriers, creating highly targeted tissue delivery systems. These advantageous features include a substantial specific surface area, which enhances the interaction with the immune system. In addition, the capability to finely modify surface chemistry enables the achievement of controlled and sustained release properties. These advances have significantly increased the potential of immunotherapy, making it more powerful than ever before. In this review, we introduce recent nanocarriers for application in cancer immunotherapy based on strategies that target different main immune cells, including T cells, dendritic cells, natural killer cells, and tumor-associated macrophages. We also provide an overview of the role and significance of nanotechnology in cancer immunotherapy.

Tumor Microenvironment Heterogeneity, Potential Therapeutic Avenues, and Emerging Therapies

OBJECTIVE

This review describes the comprehensive portrait of tumor microenvironment (TME). Additionally, we provided a panoramic perspective on the transformation and functions of the diverse constituents in TME, and the underlying mechanisms of drug resistance, beginning with the immune cells and metabolic dynamics within TME. Lastly, we summarized the most auspicious potential therapeutic strategies.

RESULTS

TME is a unique realm crafted by malignant cells to withstand the onslaught of endogenous and exogenous therapies. Recent research has revealed many small-molecule immunotherapies exhibiting auspicious outcomes in preclinical investigations. Furthermore, some pro-immune mechanisms have emerged as a potential avenue. With the advent of nanosystems and precision targeting, targeted therapy has now transcended the "comfort zone" erected by cancer cells within TME.

CONCLUSION

The ceaseless metamorphosis of TME fosters the intransigent resilience and proliferation of tumors. However, existing therapies have yet to surmount the formidable obstacles posed by TME. Therefore, scientists should investigate potential avenues for therapeutic intervention and design innovative pharmacological and clinical technologies.

Cytokine-Induced Memory-Like NK Cells: Emerging strategy for AML immunotherapy

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disease developed from the malignant expansion of myeloid precursor cells in the bone marrow and peripheral blood. The implementation of intensive chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has improved outcomes associated with AML, but relapse, along with suboptimal outcomes, is still a common scenario. In the past few years, exploring new therapeutic strategies to optimize treatment outcomes has occurred rapidly. In this regard, natural killer (NK) cell-based immunotherapy has attracted clinical interest due to its critical role in immunosurveillance and their capabilities to target AML blasts. NK cells are cytotoxic innate lymphoid cells that mediate anti-viral and anti-tumor responses by producing pro-inflammatory cytokines and directly inducing cytotoxicity. Although NK cells are well known as short-lived innate immune cells with non-specific responses that have limited their clinical applications, the discovery of cytokine-induced memory-like (CIML) NK cells could overcome these challenges. NK cells pre-activated with the cytokine combination IL-12/15/18 achieved a long-term life span with adaptive immunity characteristics, termed CIML-NK cells. Previous studies documented that using CIML-NK cells in cancer treatment is safe and results in promising outcomes. This review highlights the current application, challenges, and opportunities of CIML-NK cell-based therapy in AML.

Nano-drug delivery system targeting tumor microenvironment: A prospective strategy for melanoma treatment

Melanoma, the most aggressive form of cutaneous malignancy arising from melanocytes, is frequently characterized by metastasis. Despite considerable progress in melanoma therapies, patients with advanced-stage disease often have a poor prognosis due to the limited efficacy, off-target effects, and toxicity associated with conventional drugs. Nanotechnology has emerged as a promising approach to address these challenges with nanoparticles capable of delivering therapeutic agents specifically to the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, the clinical approval of nanomedicines for melanoma treatment remains limited, necessitating further research to develop nanoparticles with improved biocompatibility and precise targeting capabilities. This comprehensive review provides an overview of the current research on nano-drug delivery systems for melanoma treatment, focusing on liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, and inorganic nanoparticles. It discusses the potential of these nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery, as well as their ability to enhance the efficacy of conventional drugs while minimizing toxicity. Furthermore, this review emphasizes the significance of interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers from various fields to advance the development of nanomedicines. Overall, this review serves as a valuable resource for researchers and clinicians interested in the potential of nano-drug delivery systems for melanoma treatment and offers insights into future directions for research in this field.

Natural killer cell therapy targeting cancer stem cells: Old wine in a new bottle

A small proportion of cancer cells that have stem cell-like properties are known as cancer stem cells (CSCs). They can be used to identify malignant tumor phenotypes and patients with poor prognosis. Targeting these cells has been shown to improve the effectiveness of cancer therapies. Owing to the nature of CSCs, they are resistant to conventional treatment methods such as radio- and chemotherapy. Therefore, more effective anti-CSC therapies are required. Immunotherapy, including natural killer (NK) and T cell therapy, has demonstrated the ability to eliminate CSCs. NK cells have demonstrated superior anti-CSC capabilities compared to T cells in recognizing low levels of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I expression. However, CSC escape also occurs during NK cell therapy. It is important to determine CSC-specific immune evasion mechanisms and find out potential solutions to optimize NK cell function. Therefore, this review discusses promising strategies that can improve the efficiency of NK cell therapy in treating CSCs, and aims to provide a reference for future research.