Abstract
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients face a significant unmet medical need. Notably, HNSCC is among the most immune infiltrated tumor types, characterized by remarkably high levels of natural killer (NK) cell infiltration. This highlights the strong therapeutic potential of NK cell-based strategies for this disease. Moreover, the only FDA approved targeted therapy for HNSCC, cetuximab, partly relies on NK cell activation to exert its antitumor effects.
Metabolic reprogramming of tumor cells, particularly alterations in fatty acid (FA) metabolism, has been increasingly linked to immune evasion and resistance to immune cell mediated cytotoxicity. This project aims to unravel the mechanisms by which FA metabolic reprogramming in HNSCC, further amplified in cetuximab resistant cells, contributes to NK cell suppression.
Overall, this research will deepen our understanding of NK cell escape mechanisms driven by altered FA metabolism and accelerate the development of NK cell based therapies, especially for patients with HNSCC.
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