Associate Prof Lim Chwee Ming | Natural Killer (NK) Cell Therapeutics in Nasopharyngeal Cancer (NPC)

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an aggressive head and neck cancer, primarily endemic in Singapore, Southeast Asia and Southern China. A large majority (~70%) of NPC patients present with locally advanced disease at diagnosis and carry a high risk of recurrence (~30%) following definitive chemoradiotherapy (CRT). These relapses are highly lethal and current chemotherapies can prolong progressive-free survival by only 6-8 months. Therefore, new therapies are necessary, either to treat established recurrent disease or to prevent risk of relapses after definitive chemoradiotherapy. Since NPC cells express high levels of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), cetuximab (an anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody) can promote natural killer (NK) cell-mediated antibody[1]dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) via engagement of CD16. Another strategy is to leverage NK cells to eradicate minimal residual disease or MRM after definitive chemoradiotherapy for high risk locally advanced NPC.

In this webinar, A/Prof Lim will discuss the landscape of NK cells in the tumour microenvironment of NPC, and present some of his previous and on-going work on leveraging NK Cell therapy in treating nasopharyngeal cancer.