Table 2 Comparison of NK cell engineering reagents
Cargo | Efficiency | Viability | Advantages | Disadvantages | Therapeutic uses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Transient mRNA DNA | Up to 99% | Poor to good | Rapid expression High efficiency | Transient—no stable genomic integration Cell viability dependent on cargo (e.g., RNA, DNA) | Transient CAR mRNA Knockout of genes that suppress or inhibit NK cell function Knock-in of activating receptors or genes that promote NK cell function |
Transposon | Up to 80% | Poor to good | Cost effective Large cargo capacity Stable integration | Potential insertional mutagenesis Transposon must be delivered as DNA | Large cargo delivery (e.g., CAR in combination with activating receptors or cytokines) |
Cas9 Base editor Prime editor | Up to 100% | Poor to excellent | High precision High efficiency Large-scale insertion or deletion | Potential off target editing Indels and translocations | Knockout genes that suppress or inhibit NK cell function Knock-in of activating receptors or genes that promote NK cell function Treating patients bearing disease caused by a single base pair mutation |