Natural Killer Cells

Featured Researcher — Meisam Naeimi Kararoudi, DVM, PhD
Featured Researcher — Meisam Naeimi Kararoudi, DVM, PhD 150 150 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

Meisam Naeimi Kararoudi, DVM, PhD, director of the CRISPR/Gene Editing Core and principal investigator in the Center for Childhood Cancer Research at Nationwide Children’s, has taken a winding, international road to his current role at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. From his native Iran to Italy, England, Sweden and the United States, Dr. Naeimi Kararoudi has collected…

Optimizing the Body’s Natural Cancer Killers
Optimizing the Body’s Natural Cancer Killers 1024 649 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

Recent advances in the expansion and production of natural killer cells offers pediatric patients new hope for remission after high-risk cancer diagnoses. Natural killer (NK) cells are the innate immune system’s first line of defense for viral infections. Although these white blood cells don’t have the antigen-specific “memory” that characterizes T cells or the antibody-producing…

Administering NK Cells Post-Transplant Improves Relapse in Myeloid Malignancies
Administering NK Cells Post-Transplant Improves Relapse in Myeloid Malignancies 150 150 Mary Bates, PhD

A Phase I/II clinical trial demonstrates donor-derived NK cells are safe and effective at decreasing relapse and increasing survival in adults with myeloid malignancies. Haploidentical stem-cell transplantation can be a successful treatment for patients with myeloid malignancies, but relapse remains a common risk. Natural killer (NK) cells are a subset of lymphocytes capable of recognizing…