NKAEs

NKAEs (Activated and Expanded Natural Killer cells) is an investigational adoptive cell therapy developed by the Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús in Madrid, Spain. The therapy involves the ex vivo activation and expansion of haploidentical natural killer cells, typically harvested from a related donor. These cells are processed to enhance their innate anti-tumor cytotoxicity before being infused into pediatric patients with relapsed or refractory T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) or T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL). The treatment is administered as a salvage therapy following chemotherapy, aiming to provide a graft-versus-leukemia effect. Unlike T-cell-based therapies, NKAEs do not require full HLA matching and are associated with a lower risk of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), making them a potentially safer allogeneic option for aggressive hematologic malignancies.

Other names

Expanded haploidentical natural killer cellsActivated expanded natural killer cellsNKAE cellsNatural Killer Cells Activated and ExpandedNKAEs-Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, Madrid, Spain-T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia-T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma