Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42349415›Full record

ReviewCell reports. Medicine2026

Advancing CAR-NK cell therapy in solid tumors: Current landscape and future directions.

Gohar Shahwar Manzar, Md Faqrul Hasan, Madison Moore, Silvia Tiberti, Nahum Puebla Osorio, Rafet Basar, May Daher

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Cell reports. Medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Gohar Shahwar ManzarDepartment of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Md Faqrul HasanDepartment of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Madison MooreDepartment of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery and Innovation, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Silvia TibertiDepartment of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery and Innovation, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Nahum Puebla OsorioDepartment of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Rafet BasarDepartment of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery and Innovation, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA. Electronic address: rbasar@mdanderson.org.
May DaherDepartment of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery and Innovation, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA. Electronic address: mdaher@mdanderson.org.

Funding

University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer SPORE-LeukemiaP50CA100632 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · PI KONOPLEVA, MARINA Y · 2003 to 2023
$43.7M
Paul Calabresi Clinical Oncology AwardK12CA088084 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · PI David S. Hong, Scott Kopetz · 2000 to 2026
$14.0M
Next Generation Engineered NK Cells for Lymphoma Patients after CD19 CAR-T Cell Failure.R01CA280827 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · PI Rafet Basar, May Daher · 2023 to 2026
$1.5M
NCI NIH HHS K12 CA088084NCI NIH HHS P50 CA100632NCI NIH HHS R01 CA280827
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered natural killer (NK) cells have emerged as a promising modern immunotherapeutic strategy, offering advantages over CAR-T cell therapy due to their innate cytotoxicity, safety profile, and potential for scalable, off-the-shelf allogeneic manufacturing. CAR-NK cells can be generated from multiple sources, with recent clinical studies demonstrating notable efficacy and lack of severe toxicity in hematologic malignancies. Nevertheless, the translation of this success to solid tumors is hampered by limited NK cell persistence, trafficking and infiltration challenges, and the hostile, immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of recent advances and innovations in CAR-NK cell engineering, addresses challenges posed by the solid tumor microenvironment, and highlights both rational preclinical strategies and early-phase clinical trials in solid tumors, underscoring the evolving and transformative promise of CAR-NK therapy for a broader range of human cancers in the near future.

Indexed as

Immunotherapy, AdoptiveKiller Cells, NaturalNeoplasmsReceptors, Chimeric AntigenAnimalsHumansTumor MicroenvironmentReceptors, Chimeric AntigenCAR-NKcellular immunotherapychimeric antigen receptorsolid tumors

Identifiers

PMID42349415
PMCPMC13400171

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.