Engineered immune cells take on Hard-to-Treat cancers

This early-phase trial tests a new cell therapy called NK521 for people with advanced liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) or ovarian cancer that has not responded to standard treatments. NK521 are natural killer (NK) cells that have been gene-edited to remove three proteins that normally slow them down, aiming to make them more effective against tumors. Participants receive the cells either through a vein (for mild fluid buildup) or directly into the abdomen (for moderate to severe fluid buildup, called malignant ascites). The main goal is to check safety, with early signs of tumor shrinkage also being measured.