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ARTICLE | Translation in Brief

The fate of NK cells

Differentiation states of CAR-transfected NK cells influence anticancer function

May 9, 2018 9:12 PM UTC

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...