KRN7000

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are a subset of unconventional T cells that participate in both adaptive and innate immunity. A major feature that sets them apart from conventional T cells, which recognize peptides presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, is their recognition of lipid-based antigens presented by the MHC class I-like CD1d protein. Since the discovery over two decades ago that natural forms of α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) known as agelasphins and their synthetic analogs are potent stimulators of iNKT cell responses with anti-cancer activities, there has been increasing interest in incorporating iNKT cell activators into strategies for immunotherapy and vaccination. The first α-GalCer developed from systematic structure-activity relationship studies was KRN7000. In mouse models, KRN7000 also showed potent anti-tumor properties, as well as considerable promise for the treatment of infectious and autoimmune diseases.