Science Highlights
Published on October 01, 2026
NK Cell Expansion From Residual PBMCs for CAR T Therapy
by Clinical & Translational Immunology
Dobson LJ, Marron PW, Drabble AHT, et al. Parallel Processing of T Cells and Natural Killer Cells to Enhance In Vivo CAR T Cell Activity Against Blood and Solid Cancers. Clinical & Translational Immunology. 2026; (doi: 10.1002/cti2.70120).
Scientists have identified a method to minimize waste when manufacturing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells and improve their efficacy by harnessing the power of natural killer (NK) cells. NK and other non-T-cell peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are typically discarded during the manufacturing process while the T cells are isolated and expanded. Under the alternative approach, once the CAR T cells were generated, membrane-bound (mb) IL-21 + mb IL-15 feeder cells were used to stimulate the residual PBMCs. Pure NK cells rapidly expanded up to 5,000-fold in response and subsequently exhibited robust cytotoxicity in vitro. The process allowed for downstream combination therapy prior to CAR T-cell infusion. In xenograft models, pretreatment with expanded NK cells significantly improved existing CAR T-cell interventions against both solid cancers and hematological malignancies, including breast cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, through better tumor clearance and increased survival.
Read more.
![]()
Clinical & Translational Immunology