donor memory-like NK cells

**Donor memory-like NK cells** are cytokine-induced (typically IL-12, IL-15, IL-18) natural killer (NK) cells derived from hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) donors, engineered to exhibit enhanced memory-like properties for cancer immunotherapy. They demonstrate superior anti-leukemic activity compared to conventional NK cells, including increased proliferation, IFN-γ production, cytotoxicity against leukemia targets, and persistence for months in immune-compatible post-HCT environments without exogenous cytokines. Primarily developed by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine, they are administered as adoptive cell therapy in combination with chemotherapy, donor lymphocyte infusions (DLI), or IL-15 superagonists (e.g., N-803) for relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML), showing high response rates (e.g., 87% composite complete response at day 28 in adults, 50% complete remission at day 28 in pediatric patients).[1][2][8]

Other names

memory-like NK cellsML NK cellscytokine-induced memory-like NK cellsCIML NK cells