Natural killer cell therapy(NCI)

Natural killer cells (NK cells) are derived from bone marrow lymphoid stem cells, which are a type of lymphocytes that can non-specifically kill tumor cells and virus-infected cells without pre-sensitization. NK cells can not only directly kill malignant diseased cells, but also participate in the regulation of immune cell response and play a role in a variety of tumor immunotherapy strategies. The 2-year survival rate of NK cells combined with stem cell therapy for patients with hematological malignancies reached 36%, which is significantly higher than the 2-year survival rate (about 15%) of stem cell therapy alone, which can extend the disease-free survival period of leukemia patients by an average of 1.5 years. Relapsed and refractory leukemia can achieve a complete remission rate of up to 40%.

This phase I trial studies the side effects and best dose of cord blood-derived expanded allogeneic natural killer cells (donor natural killer [NK] cells) and how well they work when given together with cyclophosphamide and etoposide in treating children and young adults with solid tumors that have come back (relapsed) or that do not respond to treatment (refractory). NK cells, white blood cells important to the immune system, are donated/collected from cord blood collected at birth from healthy babies and grown in the lab. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cyclophosphamide and etoposide, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Giving NK cells together with cyclophosphamide and etoposide may work better in treating children and young adults with solid tumors.