Natural killer cells in cancer biology and therapy

The tumor microenvironment is highly complex, and immune escape is currently considered an important hallmark of cancer, largely contributing to tumor progression and metastasis. Named for their capability of killing target cells autonomously, natural killer (NK) cells serve as the main effector cells toward cancer in innate immunity and are highly heterogeneous in the microenvironment. Most current treatment options harnessing the tumor microenvironment focus on T cell-immunity, either by promoting activating signals or suppressing inhibitory ones. The limited success achieved by T cell immunotherapy highlights the importance of developing new-generation immunotherapeutics, for example utilizing previously…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 81572583, 81874112, 81874113, 81502278, 81922048
• SE
  Shanghai Education Development Foundation

  Award: 17CG01
• FU
  Fudan University
• SM
  Shanghai Municipal Education Commission

  Award: 17CG01