Emerging Technologies for the Assessment of Natural Killer Cell Activity

Anna Luise Grab () and Alexander Nesterov-Müller
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Anna Luise Grab: Clinical Cooperation Unit Molecular Hematology/Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Alexander Nesterov-Müller: Institute of Microstructure Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany

J, 2024, vol. 7, issue 4, 1-15

Abstract: Understanding natural killer (NK) cell functionality is essential in developing more effective immunotherapeutic strategies that can enhance patient outcomes, especially in the context of cancer treatment. This review provides a comprehensive overview of both traditional and novel techniques for evaluating NK cell functionality, focusing on multiparameter assays and spatial methods that illuminate NK cell interactions within their microenvironment. We discuss the significance of standardized assays for assessing NK cell function across various research and clinical settings, including cancer immunotherapy, infectious diseases, and transplantation. Key factors influencing NK cell functionality include the origin of the sample, target–effector ratios, the functional state of NK cells, and the impact of pre-treatment conditions and their natural aging effect on NK cell activity. By emphasizing the importance of selecting a suitable technique for reliable measurements, especially for longitudinal monitoring, this review aims to give an overview on techniques to measure NK cell functionality in vitro and show the interaction with their microenvironment cells by spatial imaging. Ultimately, our understanding of NK cell functionality could be critical to biomarker development, drug design, and understanding of disease progression in the field of oncology or infectious disease.

Keywords: NK cell functionality; cytokine release; standardized assays; multiparameter analysis; spatial techniques (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I1 I10 I12 I13 I14 I18 I19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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