Contact

  • Academic
    cwkl2@stanford.edu
    University - Student Department: School of Medicine - IDP's - Immunology Position: Graduate

Additional Info

  • Mail Code: 5422

All Publications

  • CD39+CD49a+CD103+ cytotoxic tissue-resident natural killer cells infiltrate and control solid epithelial tumor growth in mice. Science translational medicine Horowitz, N. B., Mohammad, I. A., Shin, J. H., Hickey, J. W., Chockley, P., Snyder, G., Chen, C., Lee, K., Sharma, K., Tran, Q., Nejatfard, A., Maddineni, S., Divi, V., Blish, C. A., Nolan, G. P., Foltz, J. A., Sunwoo, J. B. 2026; 18 (848): eadw5567

    Abstract

    Human tissue-resident natural killer (NK) cells (trNK cells), broadly defined by markers of tissue residency, such as CD49a [integrin α1 (ITGA1)] and CD103 [integrin αE (ITGAE)], are increasingly recognized for their immunoregulatory role in host control of infection, malignancy, and autoimmunity. Although the importance of transforming growth factor-β in trNK cell differentiation has been demonstrated, the context in which the differentiation of CD49a+CD103+ trNK cells occurs can result in either an immunosuppressive phenotype (e.g., decidual NK cells) or a highly cytotoxic one (e.g., some tumor trNK subsets). To understand this dichotomy better, we used a multiomic approach to molecularly characterize these cells. We identified a cytotoxic trNK (ctrNK) cell population, characterized by the expression of CD39. These ctrNK cells exhibited superior cytolytic activity against tumor target cells, enhanced capacity to infiltrate into solid tumor microenvironments, and augmented ability to control solid tumor growth in vivo compared with conventionally activated peripheral NK cells. This heightened cytolytic and infiltrative functionality of ctrNK cells appeared to be conferred, in part, by the expression of CD103 and by avidity for tumor targets. Because adoptive immune cell therapy of solid tumor malignancies has been challenged by the inefficiency of ex vivo expanded immune cells to infiltrate immunosuppressive solid tumor microenvironments, our observations that ctrNK cells can be differentiated and expanded ex vivo present a potential platform for adoptive cell therapy of solid tumor malignancies.

    View details for DOI 10.1126/scitranslmed.adw5567

    View details for PubMedID 42090477

  • Targeting archetypes of viral-driven cancers with immunotherapy: a perspective on immunogenicity within the tumor microenvironment. Frontiers in immunology Lee, K., Kim, S., Zhao, J., Neo, S. Y. 2025; 16: 1631258

    Abstract

    Viral etiologies of cancers have been widely studied for tumorigenesis and in recent years, widely recognized for their potential influence on immune regulation and response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). Here, we review the current understanding of how various oncogenic viruses are related to tumor immunogenicity and the tumor immune microenvironment. The present work also highlights the distinct features of these viral-driven cancers, that can be largely prognostic for better patient survival and response to ICB. On the other hand, there are also several commonalities in which these cancers acquire resistance against conventional immunotherapy. Finally, we discuss our perspectives to address the existing conundrums to gain clearer insights on how the interplay between anti-viral and anti-tumor immunity can be exploited to develop novel therapeutic interventions.

    View details for DOI 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1631258

    View details for PubMedID 40948758

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC12426012