Preclinical and clinical studies on CAR-NK cell therapy: latest update from 2025 ASH Annual Meeting

Chimeric antigen receptor-engineered natural killer (CAR-NK) cells are emerging as an off-the-shelf immunotherapy for hematologic malignancies, supported by early clinical data and a favorable safety profile. Compared with CAR-T therapy, CAR-NK cells offer the potential for scalable allogeneic manufacturing with reduced toxicity while retaining antitumor activity. However, challenges such as limited in vivo persistence, immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments, and variable durability of responses remain. This summary highlights recent preclinical and clinical advances in CAR-NK cell therapy reported at the 2025 ASH Annual Meeting, focusing on engineering strategies to enhance NK-cell fitness and early trial results demonstrating efficacy with manageable toxicity.