At ImmunoKite, we focus on harnessing NKT cells to fight cancer and autoimmune disorders. NKT cell therapy is an emerging class of immunotherapy as it plays a critical role in tumor immunosurveillance and anti-tumor immunity. We believe NKT cell therapy can address some limitations associated with CAR-T therapy.

NKT cells are a well-defined non-conventional T cell subset that exhibit characteristics from both natural killer (NK) cells and conventional T cells and recognize lipid antigens presented by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-like CD1d molecules. NKT cells typically arise in the thymus and are considered an “innate-like” lymphocyte that bridges innate and adaptive immunity. 

Based on their T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire, antigen specificity, and CD1d dependence, NKT cells have been divided into three categories:  type I, type II, and type III NKT cells (see the table below for more details).