Scientists have developed a new way to boost the cancer-fighting ability of natural killer (NK) cells, a type of immune cell that acts as one of the body’s first defenses against disease. This strategy could help these cells overcome the protective barrier that many tumors use to avoid destruction.
Researchers at McGill University’s Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, in collaboration with McGill University Health Center Research Institute, have discovered that blocking two specific proteins dramatically increases the ability of natural killer cells to attack cancer.
In preclinical studies, enhanced immune cells successfully killed human cancer cells from several aggressive cancers, including leukemia, glioblastoma, kidney cancer, and triple-negative breast cancer. This therapeutic approach also significantly slowed tumor growth in animal models.
“This approach is particularly promising for patients for whom standard treatments have failed and currently have few options,” said lead author Michelle L. Tremblay, James McGill Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at McGill University and a research associate at the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute.
New NK cell therapy avoids permanent genetic changes
Many modern cancer immunotherapies rely on genetic engineering to permanently modify immune cells. Although these changes can be effective, they can be risky because they are difficult to reverse if unintended side effects occur.
The new method takes a different approach. Instead of permanently changing cells, the researchers used small molecule drugs to temporarily increase NK cell activity. Because the changes are reversible, scientists believe this strategy has the potential to provide a safer and more controllable form of immunotherapy.
The researchers also say the technology could solve some of the practical challenges that have slowed the widespread use of cell-based cancer treatments.
Faster, more affordable cancer immunotherapy
The NK cells used in this study were collected from donated umbilical cord blood. Scientists at the Cell Therapy Laboratory, led by Pierre Lanouville and Linda Pelletier at the McGill University Health Center Research Institute, isolated, cultured and preserved the cells for potential use in treating multiple patients.
This differs from many existing immunotherapies, which require doctors to collect and customize each patient’s own immune cells before treatment. This process can take several weeks, is expensive, and is complex.
“These NK cells may be readily available, meaning that treatments may be faster and easier to implement,” the researchers explained.
“This approach will make immunotherapy faster, safer and more affordable at McGill University Health Center,” added Chew-Han Feng, a researcher at the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute. “We bypass the complex process of customizing cells and reversibly enhance the antitumor activity of NK cells using readily available drugs.”
Upcoming clinical trials for advanced leukemia
The research team hopes to eventually test the treatment in human clinical trials. One of the first targets could be acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive blood cancer with limited treatment options for many patients.
The proposed trial is currently awaiting funding and regulatory approval.
Research details
Study by Chu-Han Feng et al. “PTPN1/PTPN2 inhibition improves NK cancer treatment by enhancing IL-2 and reducing TGF𝛃1 response” and Michelle L. Tremblay. EMBO report In April 2026.
Funding for this study was provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Research Foundation, the McGill University Health Center Foundation, the Jeanne and Jean-Louis Lévesque Foundation, the Richard and Edith Strauss Foundation, the Cedars Cancer Foundation, and Genome Canada/Genome Quebec through a GAPP grant.
The researchers also thanked the mothers who volunteered to donate umbilical cord blood used in the study.
