Designing multivalent proteins based on natural killer cell receptors and their ligands as immunotherapy for cancer.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Natural killer (NK) cells are an important component of the innate immune system that play a key role in host immunity against cancer. NK cell recognition and activation is based on cell surface receptors recognizing specific ligands that are expressed on many types of tumor cells. Some of these receptors are capable of activating NK cell function while other receptors inhibit NK cell function. Therapeutic approaches to treat cancer have been developed based on preventing NK cell inhibition or using NK cell receptors and their ligands to activate NK cells or T cells to destroy tumor cells.

Areas covered

This article describes the various strategies for targeting NK cell receptors and NK cell receptor ligands using multivalent proteins to activate immunity agains

SUBMITTER: Smits NC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5045799 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature