Cancer Immune Cell Therapy
An immune cell therapy in which your own NK cells are activated and expanded
outside the body, then returned by IV infusion.
NK (natural killer) cells are innate immune cells that patrol the body and attack cancer cells and virus-infected cells on sight. However, NK cell activity is known to decline with age, stress, and the effects of cancer itself. In NK cell therapy, NK cells obtained from a standard blood draw are activated and expanded at a specialized facility, then returned to your body by IV infusion.
NK cells — "natural killer" cells — are a type of lymphocyte that circulates in the blood, rapidly detecting and attacking cancer cells and virus-infected cells. Their defining feature is that they can attack on their own, without waiting for orders from other immune cells.
Even in healthy people, abnormal cells that could develop into cancer are thought to arise every day. Most people still do not develop cancer because immune cells, including NK cells, find and eliminate these abnormal cells — a mechanism called immune surveillance. When this surveillance weakens, abnormal cells are thought to slip through and multiply more easily.
In this therapy, NK cells obtained from a blood draw are activated and expanded at a licensed cell processing facility, then returned to your body by IV infusion. By returning NK cells that are greater in number and higher in activity, the therapy aims to reinforce weakened immune function.
Because the therapy uses your own (autologous) cells, the risk of rejection is low and serious side effects have rarely been reported. Temporary fever or fatigue may occur.
Treatment involves only a standard blood draw and an IV infusion, with no hospitalization, so you can continue your daily life during treatment.
The therapy does not interfere with surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy, so it can be used alongside them. We can also coordinate with the medical institution providing your standard treatment.
The therapy can also be received with the aim of preventing recurrence after cancer treatment or maintaining immune function.
Treatment is provided under a regenerative medicine provision plan submitted to and accepted by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Cell culturing is performed at a licensed cell processing facility.
True to their name, natural killer cells are the front-line force of innate immunity — able to attack abnormal cells without any prior "training."
NK cells attack abnormal cells on sight, without waiting for orders from other immune cells.
Using molecules called perforin and granzymes, they puncture the membranes of cancer cells and drive them to cell death. Unlike killer T cells, they need no prior "training" (antigen presentation).
NK cells recognize and attack cells that have lost the "ID card" (MHC molecules) carried by normal cells.
Cancer cells sometimes reduce their MHC molecules to escape killer T cells. NK cells target precisely those "cells without ID," making them well suited to eliminating cancer cells that try to hide from the immune system (the missing-self hypothesis).
NK cells secrete cytokines that boost the response of the wider immune system.
They produce cytokines such as IFN-γ and have been reported to help activate cells of the adaptive immune system, including dendritic cells and T cells.
NK cells find and attack cells that antibodies have marked (ADCC).
Part of the effect of antibody drugs is known to work through NK-cell-mediated ADCC (antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity), giving NK cells an important role in modern cancer treatment.
NK cell activity is known to decline with age. Stress, lack of sleep, and lifestyle disruption have also been reported to lower it.
NK cell therapy aims to replenish the number and activity of these weakened "sentinels" by culturing your own cells.
* Eligibility is determined by our physicians based on examination and test results. Please feel free to consult us first.
Please feel free to contact us about treatment details, fees, or any concerns.
In addition to NK cell therapy, our clinic offers NKT cell-targeted therapy. Both work with your own immune system, but their approaches differ.
| NK Cell Therapy | NKT Cell-Targeted Therapy | |
|---|---|---|
| Target cells | The NK cells themselves — the "attackers" | NKT cells — the "commanders" of the immune system |
| Mechanism | NK cells are activated and expanded outside the body, directly reinforcing the attacking force | NKT cells are activated to mobilize the entire immune system |
| In short | Reinforcing the troops | An all-out campaign led by the command center |
Which therapy is more suitable depends on your condition and goals — please discuss it with our physicians. Combined use can also be discussed.
Treatment involves only blood draws and IV infusions, all on an outpatient basis.
01
A physician discusses your condition and goals, and explains the treatment, its risks, and fees. Blood tests confirm whether you are eligible for treatment.
02
A standard blood draw collects the blood from which your NK cells are obtained. It takes a few dozen minutes.
03
Your NK cells are activated and expanded at a licensed cell processing facility.
04
The activated NK cells are returned to your body by IV drip. The infusion takes about one hour.
Blood draws and infusions are repeated according to your treatment plan. We will propose the number and interval of treatments after examination.
Fees depend on your treatment plan, including the number of infusions. After your consultation, we will provide a personalized treatment plan together with an estimate.
This treatment is not covered by public health insurance in Japan. For details, please contact us by phone or online.
| First visit & consultation | Please contact us for fees |
|---|---|
| Treatment fee | Please contact us for fees* Fees vary with the number of infusions. * This is a self-funded (non-insured) treatment. |
| Duration | Approx. 2–3 weeks from blood draw to infusion (number of infusions depends on the treatment plan) |
| Hours | By appointment only |
* Treatment may be postponed or cancelled depending on your condition or test results on the day.
It can be considered for many solid cancers, but some cancers — including certain blood cancers — may not be eligible. Our physicians will decide after examination.
Because your own cells are used, serious side effects have rarely been reported. Temporary fever or fatigue may occur, but usually resolves on its own.
Yes. We adjust the treatment plan to fit your chemotherapy or radiation schedule.
Yes — the therapy can also be received to help prevent recurrence after cancer treatment or to maintain immune function. Please consult us at your examination.
Culturing takes about 2–3 weeks, and infusions are generally given multiple times according to the treatment plan. We will propose the number and interval after examination.
No. This is a self-funded treatment and is not covered by Japanese public health insurance.
It depends on your condition and goals. Our clinic offers both — please discuss it with our physicians at your examination.
NK cells were discovered in 1975 by Kiessling and colleagues at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. Until then, lymphocytes were thought to attack only after "learning" an enemy they had encountered before — but NK cells proved to be an entirely new type of lymphocyte, able to attack cancer cells without prior learning.
This innate ("natural") killing ability is where the name "natural killer cell" comes from. NK cells have since been studied worldwide for half a century as a central player in innate immunity.
In 1986, Kärre and colleagues at the Karolinska Institute reported in the journal Nature that NK cells selectively attack cells that have lost their MHC molecules — the "ID card" of a healthy cell.
Cancer cells sometimes reduce their MHC molecules to escape attack by killer T cells. NK cells, however, target precisely those cells that have lost their ID, allowing them to catch cancer cells that try to hide from the immune system.
This discovery of "missing self" showed that NK cells and killer T cells complement each other's weaknesses.
The missing-self mechanism (conceptual)
A landmark study on the relationship between NK cell activity and cancer is the epidemiological study reported by Imai and colleagues in The Lancet in 2000.
The researchers measured blood NK cell activity in 3,625 residents of the general population and followed them for 11 years. The group with low NK activity showed a higher risk of developing cancer than the groups with high or medium activity.
The study is still widely cited as evidence that maintaining NK cell function may be relevant to cancer prevention.
Epidemiology of NK activity and cancer (conceptual)
Conceptual diagram based on Imai K, et al. Lancet. 2000
Research on using activated, expanded NK cells for cancer treatment is advancing worldwide. In 2002, a study in the journal Science reported that donor-derived NK cells suppressed leukemia relapse in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, drawing clinical attention to the anti-tumor effect of NK cells.
In Japan, a phase I clinical trial in patients with advanced digestive cancer — using autologous NK cells massively expanded outside the body — reported no serious adverse events in 2015.
At the same time, the effectiveness of NK cell therapy as a standalone treatment has not been established, and research continues on its role alongside standard treatment and in recurrence prevention.
NK cell expansion in culture (conceptual)
The discovery of NK cells — a new type of lymphocyte able to attack cancer cells without prior learning.
The study behind the "missing self" hypothesis: NK cells attack cells that have lost their MHC molecules.
An 11-year follow-up of 3,625 residents showing higher cancer incidence in the group with low NK activity.
Showed that donor NK cells suppress leukemia relapse in stem cell transplantation, clinically confirming their anti-tumor effect.
A leading review summarizing the functions of NK cells.
A review of the development of NK-cell-based cancer immunotherapies.
A Japanese phase I trial of autologous NK cell therapy in advanced digestive cancer; no serious adverse events were observed.
Web booking is not available for cell therapies. Please contact us first — via the online inquiry form or by phone — about treatment details, fees, or any concerns.
* Phone consultations are available in Japanese.
Grand Green Osaka South Building, Gate Tower 5F 5-54 Ofuka-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0011, Japan
TEL: 06-7653-8493 FAX: 06-7635-8052
