anti-CD38 CAR-NK cells

Anti-CD38 CAR-NK cells are an investigational class of allogeneic, off-the-shelf adoptive cellular immunotherapies. These therapies consist of natural killer (NK) cells—derived from sources such as umbilical cord blood, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), or cell lines like NK-92—genetically engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) targeting CD38. CD38 is a transmembrane glycoprotein highly expressed on the surface of malignant plasma cells in multiple myeloma and other hematologic malignancies. To prevent "fratricide" (NK cells killing each other due to endogenous CD38 expression), many developers utilize CRISPR/Cas9 or other gene-editing tools to knock out the CD38 gene in the NK cells. Some versions, such as those from ONK Therapeutics, also incorporate additional edits like CISH knockout to enhance metabolic fitness and persistence. These cells are designed to provide a potent, standardized, and readily available alternative to autologous CAR-T cell therapies.

Other names

CD38 CAR-NKCD-38 CAR-NKCD 38 CAR-NKCD38-directed CAR-NK cellsCD-38-directed CAR-NK cellsCD 38-directed CAR-NK cellsanti-CD38 chimeric antigen receptor-engineered natural killer cellsanti-CD-38 chimeric antigen receptor-engineered natural killer cellsanti-CD 38 chimeric antigen receptor-engineered natural killer cells