Restoring NK Cell Cytotoxicity Post-Cryopreservation via Synthetic Cells.

ABSTRACT: Natural killer (NK) cells are critical components of the first-line immune defense, responsible for eliminating tumorigenic cells. NK cell-based adoptive immunotherapy has gained increasing attention; however, cryopreservation, a standard technique for NK cell storage, significantly impairs NK cell cytotoxicity, particularly in physiological 3D environments. Here, we demonstrate that short-term co-culture with effector T cells markedly enhances NK cell motility and killing functionality. Notably, a brief 1-day co-culture is sufficient to restore cryopreservation-impaired NK cell functionality in 3D environments. This enhancement requires direct contact between T cells and NK cells, which facilitates localized high concentrations of IL-2 at the cell contact sites. To develop a controled, do

SUBMITTER: Zhou X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12622558 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature