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REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. NK and Innate Lymphoid Cell Biology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1574742
CAR-NK Cell Therapy: Promise and Challenges in Solid Tumors
Provisionally accepted- 1 University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
- 2 Laboratory of Immunology and General Pathology, Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
- 3 Veneto Institute of Oncology (IRCCS), Padua, Veneto, Italy
- 4 Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
Our review paper, " CAR-NK Cell Therapy: Promise and Challenges in Solid Tumors" aligns with the NK and Innate Lymphoid Cell Biology section of Frontiers in Immunology by providing an in-depth analysis of the molecular, cellular, and functional aspects of CAR-engineered Natural Killer (CAR-NK) cells in cancer immunotherapy. This review explores the developmental biology of NK cells, their differentiation, activation mechanisms, and therapeutic potential, directly addressing the section's focus on innate lymphoid cell-based therapies. We highlight key advances in CAR-NK cell engineering, their role in targeting solid tumors, and challenges such as immune evasion, persistence, and tumor microenvironment inhibition. By integrating insights from preclinical and clinical studies, our work contributes to the understanding of NK cell-mediated immunotherapies, supporting the journal's mission to advance knowledge in innate lymphoid cell biology. This review aligns with SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) by promoting innovative cancer treatments and provides valuable insights into future directions in NK cell-based immunotherapy.
Keywords: Anna Di Spirito: Writingreview & editing. Antonio Rosato: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, project administration, Writingreview & editing. Gaia Zuccolotto: Writingreview & editing. Lorenzo Mortara: Conceptualization, Writingreview & editing. Sahar Balkhi: Conceptualization, Software, visualization, Writingoriginal draft
Received: 11 Feb 2025; Accepted: 17 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Balkhi, Zuccolotto, Di Spirito, Rosato and Mortara. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Sahar Balkhi, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
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