Natural Killer Cells News and Research

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Scientists traced a hidden immune route that may worsen tau-linked brain damage

In a mouse model of tauopathy, conventional type 1 dendritic cells (cDC1s) cross-presented brain-derived antigens in deep cervical lymph nodes, priming CD8+ T cells that accumulated in the brain and promoted neurodegeneration. Disrupting cDC1s or their cross-presentation activity reduced CD8+ T-cell infiltration and protected against neuronal loss, while human primary tauopathy samples also showed increased brain CD8+ T cells, although cDC1 involvement in humans remains unconfirmed.

6 Sep 2026

Tumor environments sculpt diverse natural killer cells for cancer therapies

For decades, natural killer (NK) cells have been classified into two main groups based on surface markers: one specialized for cytokine production and the other for direct killing.

4 Sep 2026

Cellular atlas offers clues to childhood Crohn’s treatment response

Researchers have created a detailed map of childhood Crohn's disease before and after treatment to help understand progression of the disease.

1 Sep 2026

New study links chronic stress to immunotherapy resistance in tumors

Immunotherapy has transformed cancer treatment, yet many tumors remain stubbornly resistant to its effects.

18 Aug 2026

Exhausted T cells balance graft tolerance and infection risk

A comprehensive new review examines the complex role of T cell exhaustion in organ transplantation, highlighting how this dysfunctional immune state can both promote graft tolerance and create vulnerabilities to infection and malignancy.

7 Aug 2026

Targeted dendritic cell vaccines emerge as a major step forward in cancer immunotherapy

A major step forward in cancer immunotherapy is emerging through the growing development of dendritic cell vaccines, a highly targeted approach designed to harness the body's own immune system to fight tumors.

5 Aug 2026

Immature NK cells in donor cord blood can undermine CAR NK cell therapy activity

The composition of donor cord blood may play a critical role in the success of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) natural killer (NK) cell therapies.

29 Jul 2026

New target makes cancer cells vulnerable to immune destruction

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have identified a molecular switch that helps determine whether cancer cells remain soft and difficult to destroy or become stiff enough for the immune system to attack.

20 Jul 2026

Artificial intelligence-based tool could improve multiple myeloma treatment decisions

An artificial intelligence-based tool may help physicians determine which newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients are most likely to benefit from specific therapies, including immunotherapy and stem cell transplantation.

21 May 2026

Implantable cytokine factories show promise against advanced ovarian cancer

Implantable cytokine factories designed to deliver immunotherapy directly at the site of disease have taken an important step toward clinical reality.

12 May 2026

Exploiting a new weakness in 'zombie-like' cells to treat senescence-associated diseases

A new set of drugs exploit a recently-revealed weakness in 'zombie-like' – or senescent – cells that could lead to new treatments for cancer and age-associated diseases.

24 Apr 2026

Microbes in the digestive tract help tailor treatment for melanoma patients

The specific mix of bacteria living in a person's gut can predict the chances that melanoma will recur after surgery and immunotherapy, which helps immune cells target cancer cells. This is according to a new study led by researchers from NYU Langone Health and its Perlmutter Cancer Center.

20 Apr 2026

Gut bacteria predict melanoma recurrence risk after treatment

The specific mix of bacteria living in a person's gut can predict the chances that melanoma will recur after surgery and immunotherapy, a treatment that helps immune cells target cancer cells. This is according to a new study led by researchers from NYU Langone Health and its Perlmutter Cancer Center.

17 Apr 2026

Mezagitamab shows promise in treating immune thrombocytopenia patients

Results from a phase 2 clinical trial designed and overseen by researchers at Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute show that the investigational medication mezagitamab can effectively boost platelet counts in patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), an autoimmune disease characterized by elevated platelet destruction and reduced platelet production that increases bleeding risk and compromises quality of life.

11 Apr 2026

Innate immunity genes may influence earlier breast cancer onset in BRCA1 carriers

Damaging variants in genes involved in a rapid immune response (innate immunity) are significantly linked to earlier breast cancer onset in carriers of the harmful BRCA1 genetic mutation, reveal preliminary findings published online in the Journal of Medical Genetics.

31 Mar 2026

APOE4 alters brain immunity and cognition differently in females and males

APOE4 drove sex-specific changes in meningeal immunity, lymphatic drainage, brain lipids, neuroinflammation, and cognition in mouse models, with females showing greater inflammatory and cognitive vulnerability. Suppressing innate immunity improved some cognitive outcomes in female E4/E4 mice but worsened them in male E4/E4 mice, underscoring the need for sex-tailored approaches.

29 Mar 2026

Microfluidic chips enable realistic modeling of tumor immune environments

The challenge is that the tumor immune microenvironment is not a static backdrop but a constantly shifting ecosystem shaped by cancer cells, immune cells, stromal cells, cytokines, and physical barriers.

26 Mar 2026

Immune cells use neurotransmitters to regulate health and disease

The article, titled "Emerging roles of immune cell-derived neurotransmitters in immunity and disease," published on March 17, 2026, in Immunity & Inflammation, provides a timely and authoritative review of how innate and adaptive immune cells-including macrophages, dendritic cells, natural killer cells, T cells, and B cells-produce and respond to classic neurotransmitters.

25 Mar 2026

Researchers explore "block and lock" strategy for functional HIV cure

For millions of people living with HIV, a daily regimen of medications is a lifelong necessity. If they stop taking the drugs-commonly referred to as antiretroviral therapy-the virus usually rushes back within weeks.

23 Mar 2026

Blocking a single protein could make hidden HPV-positive tumors vulnerable to treatment

A team of scientists at Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences have uncovered a mechanism that allows certain head and neck cancers to hide from the immune system, a discovery that could change how some of the most treatment resistant tumors are approached.

18 Mar 2026