Unleashing NK cells

A French-led team has devised a new strategy to increase the activity of NK cells, a type of innate immune cell that combats infections and tumors. The approach involves antagonizing an NK cell surface protein called NCR1 that ordinarily holds the NK cells in check.¹ The findings offer a new entry point into modulating innate immunity, and Innate Pharma S.A. is collaborating with the team to explore potential therapeutic applications.

NK cells "distinguish normal cells from target cells infected by microbes or tumor cells using two types of receptors-activating and inhibitory ones," said team co-leader Eric Vivier. "Normal cells express a lot of inhibitory molecules that engage NK cells. The presence or absence of these inhibitory signals governs whether the NK cells kill or spare a potential target cell."...