You are kindly invited to the 10th IMMUNO-model webinar entitled “Natural Killer Cells in Action: From Bench to Bedside” that will be streamed live on the ZOOM platform September 30, 2025, at 2.00 – 4.00 pm CET.
The webinar will consist of two presentations and a question-and-answer session:
Mar Valés-Gómez, PhD, National Centre for Biotechnology (CNB), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)
Studies on the activation of human anti-tumour NK cells
Antonio Pérez Martínez, MD, PhD, Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Department, La Paz University Hospital, Universidad Autónoma, CIBERER-ISCIII, IdiPAZ-CNIO Pediatric Onco-Hematology Clinical Research Unit, Madrid, Spain
An example of adoptive NK cell therapy in the clinic: Ex Vivo IL-15- NK Cells in Haploidentical Transplantation for Pediatric Leukemia
The webinar will be moderated by Barbara Breznik, National Institute of Biology, Slovenia and Rosalinda Sorrentino, University of Salermo, Italy.
Description of speakers and presentations.
Mar Valés-Gómez, PhD
National Centre for Biotechnology (CNB), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)
Mar Valés-Gómez will share her latest insights into NK-cell-mediated tumour recognition and emerging translational strategies for cancer immunotherapy (stimulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells with BCG, the tuberculosis vaccine). She will introduce their latest data on NKG2D-mediated immunomodulation.
Short Biography
Mar Valés-Gómez, PhD, is a Research Professor from the Department of Immunology and Oncology, at the National Centre for Biotechnology (CNB–CSIC) in Madrid. Over the past 25 years, she has made pioneering contributions to Natural Killer (NK) biology and their role in cancer immunology.
She carried out her PhD Project at Harvard University and graduated in 1998 from the University of Madrid.
From 1999 to 2006, as Research Associate at the University of Cambridge, she explored NK-cell recognition of virus-infected cells and studied viral immune-evasion mechanisms. From 2006 to 2010, as Principal Investigator, also in Cambridge (MRC New Investigator Award), she focused on NKG2D activation, characterising ligand biochemistry and trafficking, and revealing their release in extracellular vesicles.
Since 2010 at CNB-CSIC, she directs the “Tumour Immune Activation and Evasion” laboratory, where her team has developed and licensed immunocapture assays for extracellular vesicle biomarkers, as well as serological tests for SARS-CoV-2. Their study of NK cells as anti-tumour lymphocytes focusses on identifying and expanding a highly efficient lymphocyte population that eliminates cancer.
Dr. Valés-Gómez was also Visiting Associate Professor at Stanford University in 2016, she is the author of over 85 peer-reviewed publications and holds multiple patents, exemplifying her commitment to bridging basic immunology with innovation.
Antonio Pérez Martínez, MD, PhD
Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Department, La Paz University Hospital, Universidad Autónoma, CIBERER-ISCIII, IdiPAZ-CNIO Pediatric Onco-Hematology Clinical Research Unit, Madrid, Spain
Antonio Pérez Martínez will talk about an example of adoptive NK cell therapy in the clinic: Ex Vivo IL-15- NK Cells in Haploidentical Transplantation for Pediatric Leukemia.
The three major determinants of NK cell antileukemia effect in pediatric allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) are KIR donor repertoire, the number of KIR/HLA mismatch donor/recipient pairs and the IL-12 and IL-18 stimulation in KIR/HLA match donor/recipient pairs. In addition, previous findings support the clinical implementation of short-term IL15–activated NK cells as adoptive cell therapy to increase antitumor capacity. In this presentation, we will present prospectively the results of a multicenter randomized clinical trial comparing the outcome of pediatric patients with high-risk leukemia receiving a haplo-HSCT and an early infusion of ex vivo overnight stimulated IL15-NK cells in KIR/HLA donor/recipient pairs match and alloreactive NK cells in KIR/HLA donor/recipient pairs mismatch. In summary, ex vivo IL15-stimulated NK cell infusion post HSCT is as safe and effective as alloreactive NK cells. The IL-15-NK cells express more activating receptors and have great degranulation and cytotoxicity capacity. However, the patients who received IL15-NK has a more inflammatory cytokine profile that could drive to better leukemia activity but also to an increase of Graft versus host disease and transplant related mortality.
Short Biography
Dr. Antonio Pérez-Martínez is the Head of Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Services at University Hospital La Paz and Full Professor of Autonomous University of Madrid (Department of Pediatrics). Trained in all the strategic health actions of Instituto de Salud Carlos III, he has become a reference in the treatment with natural killer cells (NK) in haematopoietic progenitors’ transplantation and in advanced therapies with CART. He has assembled an exceptional multidisciplinary team of medical specialists, bioinformaticians, mathematicians, biochemists, geneticists, and biologists. This structure allowed him to establish a strong connection between the patient and the laboratory. In recent years, his team at HULP-IdiPAZ-CNIO has contributed to the development of three different advanced therapy medical products based on NK cells, IL15 activated NK cells, activated and expanded NK cells (NKAE) and academic NKG2D CART cells,
Dr. Pérez Martínez has made several stays abroad at St. Jude Hospital, Tübingen Childrens Hospital, Mason Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota, Columbia Center for Translational Immunology and at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. He maintains several collaborations with national and international researchers that are leading figures in the field of advanced therapies. He has been the promoter of 32 clinical trials focused on the field of advanced immunotherapy in pediatric oncology. Dr. Pérez-Martínez has established a robust research career at several renowned international institutions, developing a clinical and research profile in the field of pediatric oncohematology.
Check out Webinar here.