Natural Killer Cell Therapy (M.D. Anderson Cancer Center)

This investigational cellular immunotherapy consists of expanded, donor-derived natural killer (NK) cells developed by the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. The therapy is designed to prevent disease relapse in patients with high-risk myeloid malignancies, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), who are undergoing haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The NK cells are obtained from a haploidentical related donor, expanded ex vivo, and administered to the patient both before and after the transplant. The mechanism of action involves enhancing immune surveillance and direct tumor cell killing by the infused NK cells, which can recognize and eliminate residual leukemic cells that may have survived the conditioning regimen, thereby reducing the risk of post-transplant relapse.

Other names

Expanded donor-derived NK cellsHaploidentical NK cell therapyNatural Killer Cell Therapy