CD70-CAR-NK Cell Therapy for T Cell Lymphoma and Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Despite significant advances in CAR-T cell therapy for refractory and relapsed B-cell malignancies and multiple myeloma, CAR-T therapy for T cell lymphoma and acute myeloid leukemia only resulted in suboptimal response partly due to the lack of an ideal target and possible fratricide. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-NK cells may have advantages over CAR-T cells, such as reducing cytokine release and preventing fratricide and tumor contamination in T-cell lymphoma. CD70, which is overexpressed in tumor cells in T cell lymphoma and AML but minimally in normal tissues or hematopoietic stem cells, has emerged as a novel immunotherapy target. Inhibition of the growth of CD70-positive tumors through blocking the CD70/CD27 pathway potentially led to clinical response in relapsed/refractory T-cell lymphoma and AML. In preclinical studies, we and others have shown that CD70 CAR-NK cells effectively suppress the growth of lymphoma and AML xenograft in vivo, extending the survival of tumor-bearing mice but without significant toxicities. This study aims to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of CD70-targeted CAR-NK cells in patients with CD70-positive relapsed/refractory T-cell lymphoma and AML.