Aptamer-modified NK cells (ApEn-NK) have the potential for cancer immunotherapy

This article explores a novel strategy for targeted adaptive immunotherapy by modifying natural killer (NK) cells with nucleic acid aptamers. Researchers designed a CD30-specific single-stranded DNA aptamer and anchored it to the NK cell surface using a hydrophobic anchoring structure, generating aptamer-modified NK cells (ApEn-NK). ApEn-NK demonstrated specific binding to CD30-positive lymphoma cells and significantly enhanced their cytotoxic efficacy against target cells, without affecting non-target cells. Compared to CAR-T technology, this method does not involve genetic modification, is quick and easy to produce, and avoids potential risks of gene mutation, showcasing its potential in personalized immunotherapy.

The study showed that using a double C18 fatty acid chain (Apt-2xC18) anchoring structure performed better in terms of stability and efficacy compared to other designs (such as cholesterol or vitamin E anchors). ApEn-NK cells exhibited significantly enhanced cytotoxic efficacy against CD30-expressing lymphoma cells (such as K299, SUDHL-1, and HDLM2) in vitro, especially at lower effector-to-target cell ratios. Furthermore, experiments validated that the ApEn-NK technology is applicable to human primary NK cells and confirmed its effectiveness and specificity in samples from multiple healthy donors.

The innovation of this platform lies in achieving targeting through chemical modification rather than gene editing, offering both safety and biocompatibility. Future research could combine NK cell activation strategies to further enhance therapeutic efficacy, providing a rapid, flexible, and sustainable immunotherapy approach for lymphoma and other cancers.

Reference：

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31026116/