Innate lymphoid cells: potential targets for cancer therapeutics

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) comprise a number of different subsets, including natural killer (NK) cells, ILC1s, ILC2s, ILC3s, and lymphoid tissue-inducer (LTi) cells that express receptors and signaling pathways that are highly responsive to continuously changing microenvironmental cues. In this Review, we highlight the key features of innate cells that define their capacity to respond rapidly to dif-ferent environments, how this ability can drive both tumor protection (limiting tumor development) or, alternatively, tumor progression, promoting tumor dis-semination and resistance to immunotherapy. We discuss how understanding the regulation of ILCs that can detect tumor cells early in a response opens the possibility of exploiting this functional plasticity to develop rational therapeutic strategies to bolster adaptive immune responses and improve patient outcomes.

Automated summary

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are a group of immune cells that can respond rapidly to changing microenvironmental cues. They can either protect against tumor development or promote tumor progression and resistance to immunotherapy. This review discusses the regulation of ILCs and the potential for using their functional plasticity to develop therapeutic strategies to enhance immune responses and improve patient outcomes.