NK cell check-in

Until recently, there’s been scarce overlap between the NK cell field and the world of checkpoint inhibitors, with the former focused on cell therapies to kill tumor cells directly and the latter on relieving immune suppression of T cells. But a new class of checkpoint inhibitors is growing that sits at the intersection of those fields, with the potential to harness both mechanisms to produce more potent immunotherapies.

Two companies are leading the way, Innate Pharma S.A. and Oxford BioTherapeutics Ltd., building pipelines on the strategy that the intersection of NK cells and checkpoint inhibition can mix the benefits of both...