NK cell double take

NK cells are raising interest in immuno-oncology with potential safety benefits and broader activity than their T cell counterparts, but achieving sufficiently high levels of activation is an ongoing challenge. Affimed N.V. (NASDAQ: AFMD) thinks its NK cell-activating antibodies could provide the solution, and has teamed up with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to test them in combination with the university’s adoptive NK cell therapies.

In a deal announced earlier this month, the partners will evaluate Affimed’s NK-cell TandAbs, which are bispecific antibodies that direct NK cells to tumor cells, and MD Anderson’s umbilical cord blood-derived NK cell therapy. ...