The University of Toledo Translation Journal of Medical Sciences 
Haematology and Oncology Abstract, Department of Medicine Research Symposium UTJMS 2023 May 5; 11(1):e1-e1 

Natural killer cells: a review of biology, 
therapeutic potential and challenges in 
treatment of solid tumors 
Rayna Patel1*, K Choucair1, JR Duff, CS Cassidy1, MT Albrethsen, JD Kelso, A Lenhard, H Staats, 

FC Brunicardi1, L Dworkin2, Nemunaitis J  

1Department of Surgery, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43614 
2Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, The University of Toledo, 
Toledo, OH 43614 

*Corresponding author: Rayna.patel@rockets.utoledo.edu

Published: 05 May 2023 

Natural killer (NK) cells lead immune surveillance against cancer and early elimination of small 

tumors. Owing to their ability to engage tumor targets without the need of specific antigen, the 

therapeutic potential of NK cells has been extensively explored in hematological malignancies. 

In solid tumors, however, their role in the clinical arena remains poorly exploited despite a broad 

accumulation of preclinical data. We will review our current knowledge of NK cells’ biology, 

and highlight the challenges facing NK cell antitumor strategies in solid tumors. We then 

summarize the abundant preclinical attempts at overcoming these challenges, present past and 

ongoing clinical trial data and finally discuss the potential impact of novel insights on the 

development of NK cell-based therapies. 

https://dx.doi.org/10.46570/utjms.vol11-2023-740 

https://dx.doi.org/10.46570/utjms.vol11-2023-740
mailto:Rayna.patel@rockets.utoledo.edu