Boosting natural killer (NK) cells to fight cancer
Mechanisms underlying combination therapy mobilizing NK cells
This project tries a combination treatment to activate patients' natural killer (NK) immune cells so they can kill tumors that don't respond to current immunotherapies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Berkeley NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Berkeley, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11311842 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are testing a combo approach that pairs innate immune agonists (like a STING activator) with an engineered IL-2 molecule to strongly stimulate NK cells and improve anti-tumor immunity. Most work is being done in mouse tumor models, including cancers that lose MHC I and resist current checkpoint drugs. The team is studying how NK cells and CD8 T cells work together after the combination treatment to produce long-lasting tumor control. The lab experiments aim to reveal the biological mechanisms that could guide future human therapies for immunotherapy-resistant cancers.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates for future trials would be patients with cancers that are refractory to checkpoint inhibitors or whose tumors show low neoantigen levels or loss of MHC I expression.
Not a fit: People with cancers already well controlled by standard therapies or with tumors driven by mechanisms unrelated to NK or T cell recognition are unlikely to benefit from this specific approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new treatments that help patients whose tumors do not respond to current checkpoint immunotherapies, especially MHC I-deficient cancers.
How similar studies have performed: Preclinical studies in mice have shown promising synergy using STING agonists or engineered IL-2s to mobilize NK cells, but clinical testing in people remains limited.
Where this research is happening
Berkeley, United States
- University of California Berkeley — Berkeley, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Raulet, David H — University of California Berkeley
- Study coordinator: Raulet, David H
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.