The Medical Advisor

Cancer treatment has transformed dramatically over the past decade. From chemotherapy and radiation to targeted therapies, each advance has sought to tip the balance in favor of the patient. Now, cell-based immunotherapies — therapies that harness and engineer the body’s immune system to fight cancer — are taking center stage. Two of the most promising approaches are CAR-T and CAR-NK cell therapies. But what makes them different, and how are emerging innovations, including AI and NK cell expansion, shaping the future of immunotherapy? Understanding CAR-T Therapy CAR-T (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell) therapy involves harvesting a patient’s T cells, genetically engineering them to recognize specific cancer antigens, and reinfusing them into the body. These modified T cells can detect and destroy cancer cells with remarkable precision. Strengths of CAR-T: High efficacy in blood cancers: Durable remissions have been reported in leukemia and lymphoma patients. Long-term immune memory: ...

Natural killer (NK) cells, a specific type of white blood cell, are an important component of your innate immune system. Your immune system consists of two different branches — cell-mediated immunity (innate) and humoral immunity (adaptive). When you contract a viral disease, the pathogen enters your body and infects your cells. NK cell for cancer immunotherapy The subsequent disease process involves your cell-mediated immune response, which activates your NK cells, along with chemicals that attract them to the site of infection, where the white blood cells basically chew up and spit out the infected cells. This process clears the virus and rejuvenates the gel-like water inside your cells. During recovery, your humoral immune system kicks in and starts generating antibodies against the virus to help prevent the same kind of disease process and symptoms from occurring again, should you be exposed to the same virus later on. As long as your cell-mediated immune system is activated firs...

Introduction: CAR Therapy Has a Hidden Bottleneck CAR-T therapy is one of the most powerful cancer treatments ever developed. In certain blood cancers, it delivers remission rates chemotherapy never could. Yet outside a narrow set of indications, CAR-T struggles: Limited efficacy in solid tumors High toxicity (CRS, neurotoxicity) T-cell exhaustion Relapse after initial response CAR-NK therapy has emerged as a potential alternative—safer, more scalable, and possibly better suited for solid tumors. But there’s a deeper issue affecting both platforms: Engineered immune cells are being deployed into metabolically hostile environments they were never designed to survive. 1. CAR-T vs CAR-NK: A Brief Comparison CAR-T Cells Derived from patient (autologous) T-cells Highly potent cytotoxicity Strong memory formation High rates of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) Expensive and logistically complex CAR-NK Cells Derived from donor NK cells or cell lines Lower CRS risk “Off-the-shelf” scalability S...

Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, inventor of Abraxane and Executive Chairman of ImmunityBio, continues to highlight promising early results from the company's "Cancer BioShield™" platform across multiple indications, including recurrent glioblastoma (GBM)—one of oncology's most challenging cancers. In an August 26, 2025 press release, ImmunityBio reported initial pilot data in recurrent GBM: All 5 treated patients achieved 100% disease control, with 2 near-complete responses and 3 objective responses overall. The chemo-free regimen combines Anktiva® (nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln, an IL-15 superagonist), NK cell therapy, and supportive elements like Optune Gio® to protect and activate the immune system rather than deplete it. Standard treatments often induce profound lymphopenia (~90% of cases), impairing NK and T cells and driving relapse. The BioShield approach reverses this by expanding killer cells. At the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) 2025 meeting, data linked tum...