Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40246292›Full record

ReviewJournal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950)2025

Natural killer cell-based immunotherapy for cancer.

Shoubao Ma, Jianhua Yu, Michael A Caligiuri

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
23citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

23 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. NIR-Assisted Multimodal Strategies for Enhanced Antibacterial Therapy.Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) · 2026
    Review
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  4. Cellular immunotherapy in melanoma: the next frontier in cancer treatment.Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR · 2026
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Shoubao MaDepartment of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope National Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
Jianhua YuDivision of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, United States.
Michael A CaligiuriDepartment of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope National Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, United States.

Funding

The Tumor Microenvironmental Barrier to Effective Viral OncolysisP01CA163205 · NCI · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · PI Xiaokui Mo · 2013 to 2026
$26.0M
Human natural killer cells: Advancing biology and clinical applicationsR35CA210087 · NCI · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · PI MICHAEL A CALIGIURI · 2017 to 2026
$8.3M
Tasquinimod as an adjunct to immunotherapies administered peri-operativelyU19CA264512 · NCI · BECKMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE/CITY OF HOPE · PI Behnam Badie, Jana Portnow · 2021 to 2026
$6.0M
Targeting FLT3 for the Treatment of Relapsed or Refractory Acute Myeloid LeukemiaR01CA265095 · NCI · BECKMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE/CITY OF HOPE · PI BUDDE, LIHUA ELIZABETH, CALIGIURI, MICHAEL A · 2021 to 2025
$2.4M
Characterizing and Targeting the Novel IL-15- AKT-XBP1s Pathway in NK CellsR01CA247550 · NCI · BECKMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE/CITY OF HOPE · PI YU, JIANHUA · 2020 to 2024
$2.2M
Elucidate and Modulate Cell Signaling in NK Cells for Glioma TreatmentR01AI129582 · NIAID · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · PI YU, JIANHUA · 2017 to 2021
$2.1M
Overcoming Barriers of Virotherapy by Next-Generation oHSV Expressing E-CadherinR01NS106170 · NINDS · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · PI YU, JIANHUA · 2018 to 2023
$1.9M
Phase 1 Evaluation of Enhanced Natural Killer Cells as a Treatment Strategy in Non-Small cell Lung Cancer Patients Refractory to PD-1/PD-L1 Immune Checkpoint InhibitorsR01CA266457 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE · PI VILLALONA, MIGUEL A, YU, JIANHUA · 2022 to 2025
$1.8M
scFvPD1-FLT3 CAR T Cells for the Treatment of Relapsed Acute Myeloid LeukemiaR21CA223400 · NCI · BECKMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE/CITY OF HOPE · PI YU, JIANHUA · 2019 to 2020
$414k
California Institute for Regenerative Medicine DISC2-14190California Institute for Regenerative Medicine TRAN1-14003California Institute for Regenerative Medicine TRAN1-14716Leukemia and Lymphoma Society 1364-19NCI NIH HHS P01 CA163205NCI NIH HHS R01 CA247550NCI NIH HHS R01 CA265095NCI NIH HHS R01 CA266457NCI NIH HHS R21 CA223400NCI NIH HHS R35 CA210087NCI NIH HHS U19 CA264512NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI129582NIH HHS AI129582NIH HHS CA163205NIH HHS CA210087NIH HHS CA223400NIH HHS CA247550NIH HHS CA264512NIH HHS CA265095NIH HHS CA266457NIH HHS NS106170NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS106170
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Natural killer (NK) cells are emerging as a promising tool for cancer immunotherapy due to their innate ability to selectively recognize and eliminate cancer cells. Over the past 3 decades, strategies to harness NK cells have included cytokines, small molecules, antibodies, and the adoptive transfer of autologous or allogeneic NK cells, both unmodified and genetically engineered. Despite favorable safety profiles in clinical trials, challenges such as limited in vivo persistence, exhaustion, and the suppressive tumor microenvironment continue to hinder their efficacy and durability. This review categorizes NK cell-based therapies into 3 major approaches: (i) cellular therapies, including unmodified and chimeric antigen receptor-engineered NK cells; (ii) cytokine-based strategies such as interleukin-2 and interleukin-15 derivatives; and (iii) antibody-based therapies, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and NK cell engagers. We highlight these advancements, discuss current limitations, and propose strategies to optimize NK cell-based therapies for improved cancer treatment outcomes.

Indexed as

ImmunotherapyImmunotherapy, AdoptiveKiller Cells, NaturalNeoplasmsAnimalsHumansImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsReceptors, Chimeric AntigenTumor MicroenvironmentImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsReceptors, Chimeric Antigencancer immunotherapyCAR NK cellsnatural killer cellsNK cell engagers

Identifiers

PMID40246292
PMCPMC12311385

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.