Targeting CD276: a promising strategy for CAR-NK cell immunotherapy in human oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma

Human oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) is a prevalent form of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), often presenting at an advanced stage with a grim prognosis. Traditional therapeutic approaches such as surgery, adjuvant radiotherapy, and chemoradiotherapy have shown limited efficacy in treating advanced OTSCC, underscoring the urgent need for innovative treatment strategies. Our bioinformatics analysis identified CD276 as a significant biomarker in OTSCC, with high protein expression levels correlating to a markedly reduced survival rate in late-stage patients. This discovery has led us to develop chimeric antigen receptor-natural killer (CAR-NK) cells derived from umbilical cord blood cells (UCBCs), specifically targeting CD276. Our aim is to investigate this novel therapeutic approach for its potential to combat OTSCC under pre-clinical conditions. Our in vitro and ex vivo studies have demonstrated that CD276-targeted CAR-NK cells exhibit remarkable efficacy in lysing OTSCC cell lines and primary cells, as well as in eliminating OTSCC organoids. These promising results underscore the pivotal role of CD276 in OTSCC pathogenesis and highlight the potential of CAR-NK cell therapy as a groundbreaking treatment option for advanced-stage OTSCC, offering new hope for translational medicine in the field of stomatology.