Herman Netskar and Aline Pfefferle from Karolinska Institutet are shared 1st authors on the paper from the Malmberg research group which also includes several international collaborators.
The award of 50 000 NOK for the best original publications published in the fall of 2024 goes to the research group.
Read about the award at the Oslo University Hospital's webpage (in Norwegian)
Nomination:
Netskar et al. developed a single-cell transcriptional reference map of healthy human natural killer (NK) cells derived from blood and tissues, focusing on the temporal resolution and the gene regulatory networks governing NK cell differentiation. Using transfer learning, transcriptomes from tumor-infiltrating NK cells (39 datasets, 7 solid tumor types and 427 patients) were incorporated in the reference map to investigate how the tumor microenvironment (TME) affected NK cells. Six distinct NK cell states were identified, including a “stressed” state influenced by TME-induced immunosuppression and a “cytotoxic”, TME-resistant state. The ratio between these two states predicted patient outcomes in malignant melanoma and osteosarcoma. The findings provide a basis to examine how TME ecosystems develop under various experimental or clinical conditions and for developing new NK cell therapies.
Orignal publication: Netskar, H., Pfefferle, A., Goodridge, J.P. et al. Pan-cancer profiling of tumor-infiltrating natural killer cells through transcriptional reference mapping. Nat Immunol 25, 1445–1459 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-024-01884-z