Definition

A preparation of umbilical cord blood (CB)-derived natural killer cells (NKs) that have been engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) specific for the tumor-associated antigen (TAA) trophoblast cell surface protein 2 (trophoblast antigen 2; tumor-associated calcium signal transducer 2; TROP2; TROP-2; TACSTD2; GA733-1; M1S1) and interleukin-15 (IL-15), with potential immunostimulating and antineoplastic activities. Upon administration, anti-TROP2-CAR-IL-15-transduced CB-derived NK cells target, bind to and induce selective cytotoxicity in TROP2-expressing tumor cells. IL-15 is a pro-survival cytokine that promotes persistence of multiple lymphocyte lineages and potentiates the immune response against tumor cells. TROP2 is a transmembrane protein overexpressed in various tumors. Its expression is associated with enhanced tumor aggressiveness, metastasis, drug resistance and increased tumor cell survival.