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‹ Fri · 17 Apr 2026
Promising but preliminary

Alterations in NK cell subsets and the regulatory role of JAB1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma with implications for tumor immunity and biomarker development

Blood NK cell patterns and a new marker outperform standard tumor tests for tracking nasopharyngeal cancer progression and treatment response.

Single-cell profiling of NPC patient samples identifies distinct NK cell subsets with opposing tumor-regulatory roles, and implicates JAB1 as a key regulator of NK cytotoxicity and an immunotherapy target. CD16+CD57+ NK cells in blood are prognostic, and JAB1/CD107a as NK biomarkers outperform conventional tumor markers SCC and CEA.

What the study was

Study design
RNA-seq + single-cell RNA-seq + functional assays + humanised mouse model
Population
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients and mouse xenografts
Category
Treatment Innovation
Maturity
Exploratory
Journal
British journal of cancer

Why it surfaced

Novel NK cell biomarkers and immunotherapy target in NPC; British Journal of Cancer; preclinical/mixed species stage.

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