Inhibiting Tgf-Beta Signaling In The Tumor Micro-Environment Enhances The Cytotoxic Function Of Adoptive Nk Cells

Introduction: The tumor micro-environment poses a limitation to the efficacy of adoptive NK cell therapy due to several immunosuppressive cytokines. TGF-beta, produced in excess by tumor cells, regulatory T cells and stromal cells, facilitates epithelial to mesenchymal transformation thereby promoting metastasis and fibrosis. This high TGF-beta milieu in cancer patients also impairs innate natural killer (NK) cell mediated cancer immunity through various mechanisms.