Sungkyunkwan University · Medicine
Professor Duck Cho's research lab specializes in natural killer (NK) cell-based immunotherapy for cancer, focusing on the ex vivo expansion and activation of NK cells for adoptive immunotherapy. The lab develops innovative feeder cell systems—particularly K562 cells genetically engineered to express costimulatory ligands such as OX40L and membrane-bound IL-15—to drive robust, clinical-grade NK cell expansion. A key focus is understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying NK cell proliferation and cytotoxicity, especially through receptor-ligand interactions like OX40-OX40L and NKG2D ligands. The lab also investigates tumor immune evasion mechanisms, particularly in glioblastoma, to inform combination immunotherapies.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Among pediatric solid tumors, EWS and rhabdomyosarcoma are exquisitely sensitive to expanded NK cells. The NK expansion method described here has been adapted to large-scale conditions and supports a phase I clinical study including patients with these malignancies.
Natural killer (NK) cells can kill a wide range of cancer cells and are a promising tool for cell therapy of cancer. NK cells cytotoxicity is regulated by a balance between stimulatory and inhibitory signals. Interleukin-2 is known to increase NK cell cytotoxicity. Although many cytokines have been studied in efforts to induce durable NK cell expansions, most reports indicate a rather modest effect and the requirement for additional stimuli. We found that contact with the K562 myeloid leukemia c
<b>Background:</b> Natural Killer (NK) cell-based immunotherapy used to treat cancer requires the adoptive transfer of a large number of activated NK cells. Here, we report a new effective method to expand human NK cells <i>ex vivo</i> using K562 cells genetically engineered (GE) to express OX40 ligand (K562-OX40L) in combination with a short exposure to soluble IL-21. In addition, we describe a possible mechanism of the NK cell expansion through the OX40 receptor-OX40 ligand axis which is depen
U87 GBM cells with stemness features demonstrate increased cytotoxicity to NK cells in association with altered NKG2D ligand expression of NK cell activating receptor. Applying immune modulation to GBM treatment may be a promising adjuvant therapy in patients with intractable GBM.
The characterization of natural killer (NK) cells initially occurred in the 1970s and 1980s as a result of efforts by investigators such as Rolf Kiessling and Ronald Heberman. It was observed that a certain population of cells, freshly isolated from normal, unimmunized hosts, could lyse allogeneic tumor cells without sensitization. At the time, these cells were just considered to be a population of non-T, non-B lymphocytes. After the introduction of modern technologies such as monoclonal antibod
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