NK-TCR cells

NK-TCR cells are a next-generation cellular immunotherapy platform developed by researchers at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center. This platform involves engineering primary human natural killer (NK) cells to express fully functional T-cell receptors (TCRs), enabling them to recognize and eliminate tumor cells presenting intracellular antigens via HLA molecules—a capability typically reserved for T cells. The NK-TCR construct incorporates the full CD3 signaling complex (zeta, epsilon, gamma, and delta chains), a chimeric CD28-CD3zeta costimulatory module, and IL-15 to enhance activation, cytotoxicity, and in vivo persistence. Lead candidates include NK cells targeting NY-ESO-1 (for multiple myeloma and synovial sarcoma) and PRAME (for acute myeloid leukemia and melanoma). This approach aims to combine the potent, non-alloreactive killing capacity of NK cells with the precise antigen specificity of TCRs without the risk of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD).

Other names

TCR-NK cellsTCR-engineered NK cellsNK-TCR platform