autologous DC-CIK cell therapy

Autologous DC-CIK cell therapy is an adoptive cellular immunotherapy that combines two distinct immune cell populations: dendritic cells (DCs) and cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells. Dendritic cells are professional antigen-presenting cells that, when co-cultured with CIK cells, enhance their proliferation and cytotoxic activity by presenting tumor-associated antigens. CIK cells are a heterogeneous population of effector lymphocytes, primarily characterized by a CD3+CD56+ phenotype, which possess both T-cell-like specificity and natural killer (NK) cell-like non-MHC-restricted cytotoxicity. This therapy is typically produced by isolating peripheral blood mononuclear cells from a patient, differentiating them into DCs and CIK cells ex vivo using cytokines such as IL-2, IFN-gamma, and anti-CD3 antibodies, and then re-infusing the activated cells back into the patient. It is primarily investigated as an adjuvant treatment to prevent recurrence and metastasis in solid tumors, most notably hepatocellular carcinoma, following surgical resection.

Other names

autologous dendritic cell-cytokine-induced killer cell therapyDC-CIK immunotherapyautologous DC-CIK