CAR-NK cells: the next wave of cellular therapy for cancer

T cells engineered to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) have revolutionised the field of cellular therapy for cancer. Despite its success, this strategy has some recognised limitations and toxicities. Hence, there is growing interest in developing novel cellular therapies based on non-alpha beta T-cell immune effector cells, including NK cells that offer clear advantages in cancer immunotherapy. As a result, NK cells are being explored as an alternative platform for CAR engineering and are becoming recognised as important players in the next generation of cellular therapies targeting cancer. In this review, we highlight preclinical and clinical studies of CAR-NK cells derived from different sources and discuss strategies under investigation to enhance the antitumor activity of these engineered innate immune cells.

Automated summary

CAR-NK cells, derived from non-αβ T-cell immune effector cells, are gaining interest as a promising alternative to CAR-T therapy in cancer treatment. Studies have shown the potential of CAR-NK cells in enhancing antitumor activity and novel strategies are being investigated to further improve their efficacy.