Table 4 Sources of NK cells and their unique advantages and disadvantages
From: Natural killer cells: a promising immunotherapy for cancer
Source | Advantages | disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
PB | Mature phenotype Highly functional and cytotoxic | Only 5%–10% of PB lymphocytes are NK cells Heterogenous product Not readily available, need donors |
CB | Readily available from global CB banks.15%–30% of CB lymphocytes are NK cells. Transcriptomic profile supports high proliferative potential | Numerically few and therefore requires ex vivo expansion Heterogeneous product |
iPSC | High proliferative capacity Homogeneous product | Immature phenotype Low ADCC due to low CD16 expression Long culture condition |
NK-92 cell line | High proliferative capacity Easy to manipulate and engineer Homogeneous product Reduced sensitivity to freeze/thaw cycles | Derived from a patient with NK lymphoma Need for irradiation Limited in vivo persistence following irradiation Low ADCC due to low or absent CD16 expression |