CIR-NK cells

CIR-NK cells are an allogeneic natural killer (NK) cell therapy engineered with Chimeric ILT Receptors (CIR) to target HLA-G, an immunosuppressive MHC-IB molecule often overexpressed in tumors to evade immune detection. Developed by NKILT Therapeutics, these cells utilize the natural HLA-G binding domains of ILT receptors (such as ILT2 and ILT4) rather than antibody-derived scFvs to achieve high specificity across diverse HLA-G isoforms. The engineered cells are typically transduced with constructs containing signaling domains like 4-1BB, DAP10, and MyD88 to enhance functional persistence and are co-expressed with soluble IL-15 to support survival. They are being investigated for the treatment of HLA-G+ hematologic malignancies, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and multiple myeloma, as well as various solid tumors.

Other names

chimeric ILT receptor natural killer cellsHLA-G targeting CIR-NK cells