New research is elucidating the relationship between CAR-transfected NK cells’ differentiation states and their cancer-killing potential -- knowledge that Fate Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:FATE) is leveraging for its own cell therapies.
In a study published in Cancer Immunology Research, a team that included Karl-Johan “Kalle” Malmberg explored how dynamic expression of various NK cell receptors affects the magnitude of the cells’ degranulation against tumor cell targets. Expression levels of these receptors change as highly proliferative immature NK cells age and reach a terminal differentiation state.
Malmberg is a professor at the University of Oslo and a member of Fate’s SAB
“Our lab is interested in trying to understand how NK cells work -- how they differentiate and tune their functionality based on receptor input,” Malmberg told BioCentury. Bob Valamehr, VP of cancer immunotherapy and reprogramming biology at Fate, told BioCentury the company is incorporating the results of the team’s...