gemcitabine + docetaxel + TGFBi NK cells

This investigational combination therapy, being evaluated in the TiNKS clinical trial (NCT05634369), is designed for the treatment of relapsed or refractory pediatric bone and soft tissue sarcomas. The regimen combines the standard salvage chemotherapy agents gemcitabine and docetaxel (often abbreviated as GEM/DOX in this specific trial context, which can lead to confusion with doxorubicin) with TGFβ-imprinted (TGFβi), ex vivo expanded, universal donor natural killer (NK) cells. The NK cells are a biologic immunotherapy modality that has been 'imprinted' during expansion by exposure to TGFβ to reduce their sensitivity to immunosuppression within the tumor microenvironment, thereby enhancing their cytotoxic potential. Developed by Nationwide Children's Hospital, the therapy aims to improve outcomes in patients aged 12-40 with difficult-to-treat cancers such as osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, and rhabdomyosarcoma by combining direct cytotoxic chemotherapy with adoptive cell transfer.

Other names

gemcitabine + doxorubicin + TGFBi-Nationwide Children's Hospital-pediatric sarcoma-osteosarcoma-Ewing sarcomaTGFβ-imprinted NK cellsTGFBi expanded NK cells