Detection and viability of murine NK cells in vivo in a lymphoma model using fluorine-19 MRI.

Natural killer (NK) cell therapies are being increasingly used as an adoptive cell therapy for cancer because they can recognize tumor cells in an antigen-independent manner. While promising, the understanding of NK cell persistence, particularly within a harsh tumor microenvironment, is limited. Fluorine-19 ( F) MRI is a noninvasive imaging modality that has shown promise in longitudinally tracking cell populations in vivo; however, it has not been studied on murine NK cells.

CXCR4 allows T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia to escape from JAK1/2 and BCL2 inhibition through CNS infiltration.

Targeting the JAK/STAT and BCL2 pathways in patients with relapsed/refractory T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) may provide an alternative approach to achieve clinical remissions. Ruxolitinib and venetoclax show a dose-dependent effect on T-ALL individually, but combination treatment reduces survival and proliferation of T-ALL . Using a xenograft model, the combination treatment fails to improve survival, with death from hind limb paralysis.

Analysis of ex vivo expanded and activated clinical-grade human NK cells after cryopreservation.

Background Aims: Several methods to expand and activate (EA) NK cells ex vivo have been developed for the treatment of relapsed or refractory cancers. Infusion of fresh NK cells is generally preferred to the infusion of cryopreserved/thawed (C/T) NK cells because of concern that cryopreservation diminishes NK cell activity. However, there has been little head-to-head comparison of the functionality of fresh versus C/T NK cell products.

Y-NM600 targeted radionuclide therapy induces immunologic memory in syngeneic models of T-cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Finding improved therapeutic strategies against T-cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) remains an unmet clinical need. We implemented a theranostic approach employing a tumor-targeting alkylphosphocholine (NM600) radiolabeled with Y for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and Y for targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT) of T-cell NHL. PET imaging and biodistribution performed in mouse models of T-cell NHL showed in vivo selective tumor uptake and retention of Y-NM600.

An Uncoupling of Canonical Phenotypic Markers and Functional Potency of -Expanded Natural Killer Cells.

Recent advances in cellular therapies for patients with cancer, including checkpoint blockade and -expanded, tumor-specific T cells, have demonstrated that targeting the immune system is a powerful approach to the elimination of tumor cells. Clinical efforts have also demonstrated limitations, however, including the potential for tumor cell antigenic drift and neoantigen formation, which promote tumor escape and recurrence, as well as rapid onset of T cell exhaustion . These findings suggest that antigen unrestricted cells, such as natural killer (NK) cells, may be beneficial for use as an alternative to or in combination with T cell based approaches.