Innovation Showcases
Immuno-oncology cell therapies have gained significant attention, with natural killer (NK) cells emerging as a promising candidate due to their innate ability to target tumors through cytotoxicity and immune activation. NK cells uniquely infiltrate solid tumor microenvironments, destroy malignant cells, and recruit other immune components. Despite this potential, clinical adoption remains limited by challenges in reliably sourcing and expanding functional NK cells. Peripheral blood-derived NK cells constitute only 10-15% of lymphocytes and are difficult to isolate at therapeutic scales, while existing NK cell lines lack critical Fc receptors, necessitating alternative sources like pluripotent stem cells (PSCs). Traditional PSC differentiation methods, however, face variability in expansion rates, purity, and functionality, compounded by reliance on feeder cells that introduce contamination risks and regulatory hurdles.
To address these limitations, this study establishes a serum- and feeder-free platform for scalable NK cell production from PSCs. By employing GMP-compliant reagents and stage-specific cytokine regimens, the protocol generated 96.33% CD3-CD56+ NK cells within 35 days. Rigorous quality control at each differentiation phase ensured consistent cell phenotype and function, with final products demonstrating robust tumor-killing activity. The elimination of animal-derived components and feeder layers not only enhances safety but also standardizes manufacturing, enabling large-scale production. This closed-system approach provides a blueprint for automated, GMP-ready workflows, overcoming critical bottlenecks in off-the-shelf NK cell therapy development for cancer immunotherapy.