Unlocking Glioblastoma Secrets: Natural Killer Cell Therapy against Cancer Stem Cells

Glioblastoma (GBM) represents a paramount challenge as the most formidable primary brain tumor characterized by its rapid growth, aggressive invasiveness, and remarkable heterogeneity, collectively impeding effective therapeutic interventions. The cancer stem cells within GBM, GBM stem cells (GSCs), hold pivotal significance in fueling tumor advancement, therapeutic refractoriness, and relapse. Given their unique attributes encompassing self-renewal, multipotent differentiation potential, and intricate interplay with the tumor microenvironment, targeting GSCs emerges as a critical strategy for innovative GBM treatments. Natural killer (NK) cells, innate immune effectors recognized for their capacity to selectively detect and eliminate malignancies without the need for prior sensitization, offer substantial therapeutic potential. Harnessing the inherent capabilities of NK cells can not only directly engage tumor cells but also augment broader immune responses. Encouraging outcomes from clinical investigations underscore NK cells as a potentially effective modality for cancer therapy. Consequently, NK cell-based approaches hold promise for effectively targeting GSCs, thereby presenting an avenue to enhance treatment outcomes for GBM patients. This review outlines GBM's intricate landscape, therapeutic challenges, GSC-related dynamics, and elucidates the potential of NK cell as an immunotherapeutic strategy directed towards GSCs.

The role of interleukin-22 in lung health and its therapeutic potential for COVID-19

Although numerous clinical trials have been implemented, an absolutely effective treatment against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still elusive. Interleukin-22 (IL-22) has attracted great interest over recent years, making it one of the best-studied cytokines of the interleukin-10 (IL-10) family. Unlike most interleukins, the major impact of IL-22 is exclusively on fibroblasts and epithelial cells due to the restricted expression of receptor. Numerous studies have suggested that IL-22 plays a crucial role in anti-viral infections through significantly ameliorating the immune cell-mediated inflammatory responses, and reducing tissue injury as well as further promoting epithelial repair and regeneration. Herein, we pay special attention to the role of IL-22 in the lungs. We summarize the latest progress in our understanding of IL-22 in lung health and disease and further discuss maneuvering this cytokine as potential immunotherapeutic strategy for the effective manage of COVID-19.

Intratumoral IL22-producing cells define immunoevasive subtype muscle-invasive bladder cancer with poor prognosis and superior nivolumab responses

Our previous researches have identified immunoevasive subtype muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) characterized with immune cells infiltration patterns. Our study explored the clinical significance, immunoregulatory role and therapeutic value of intratumoral IL22-producing cells in MIBC. Two hundred and fifty-nine formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded MIBC samples and 83 freshly resected MIBC tissues and 391 TCGA MIBC samples were retrospectively evaluated. Immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry were applied to identify immune cell infiltration and functional status. In vitro intervention studies were to test the therapeutic and predictive potential of IL22+ cells. Our data revealed patients with high IL22+ cells infiltration suffered poor overall survival and recurrence-free survival in both training and validation cohorts. Only pT2 patients of combined cohort with low IL22+ cells infiltration gained survival benefits from adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) significantly. Besides, immune contexture featured with increased pro-tumor cells and immunosuppressive cytokines was identified in patients with high IL22+ cells density. The expression pattern of exhausted and effector markers in CD8+ T cells from high IL22+ cells subgroup indicated their dysfunctional status. Importantly, nivolumab showed tumor-killing efficacy in tumors with high IL22+ cells infiltration, and immunosuppressive contexture with CD8+ T cells exhaustion was abrogated in tumors treated with anti-IL22 antibody. In summary, IL22+ cells infiltration determined immunosuppressive contexture with CD8+ T cell dysfunction. Tumor-infiltrating IL22+ cells could be used as an independent marker to predict prognosis and ACT responses. IL22+ cells infiltration possessed the potential to be a favorable predictor for nivolumab application and IL22 blockade could be a novel therapeutic strategy in MIBC.