Industry reflection on cell therapies intensified after a spate of clinical disappointments and safety concerns in solid‑tumor CAR‑T programs. A candid analysis recounts patient tragedies, class‑wide safety alerts and the slow pace of translating early cellular immunotherapy success into durable, broadly applicable treatments. Against that backdrop, research into alternative cell formats advanced: a CAR‑NK program reported preclinical breakthroughs for pediatric autoimmune disease, offering a potential path with different safety and manufacturing attributes than autologous CAR‑T. The juxtaposition of sobering clinical experience and novel cell modalities underlines the field’s pivot toward safety optimization, allogeneic platforms, and engineered innate immune effectors as strategies to broaden therapeutic reach.