Cancers

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Immunotherapy harnesses the power of the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells. Innovative immunotherapies, such as CAR-T, have shown advantageous outcomes in various cancer types. By modifying a patient's T cells, CAR-T targets specific antigens in the cancer cells. This precision targeting allows for a particular attack on cancer cells while minimizing damage to healthy cells. However, it is important to note that CAR-T therapy has some encumbrances and challenges. For example, it can be associated with significant side effects, including cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity. Improving CAR-T involves better target selection, higher potency, longer persistency, and overcoming resistance mechanisms that are employed by the cancer cells to evade/escape the immune system. In this Special Issue, we will encourage novel approaches and perspectives of CAR-T cell therapy for cancers.

Dr. Shebli Atrash
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

CAR-T
NK-CAR
immunotherapy
cancer
resistance mechanisms

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

21 pages, 4413 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preclinical Evaluation of Novel Folate Receptor 1-Directed CAR T Cells for Ovarian Cancer

by Julie Daigre, Manuel Martinez-Osuna, Maria Bethke, Larissa Steiner, Vera Dittmer, Katrin Krischer, Cathrin Bleilevens, Janina Brauner, Jens Kopatz, Matthias David Grundmann, Paurush Praveen, Dominik Eckardt, Andreas Bosio and Christoph Herbel

Cancers 2024, 16(2), 333; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16020333 - 12 Jan 2024

Viewed by 2446

Abstract

Treatment options for ovarian cancer patients are limited, and a high unmet clinical need remains for targeted and long-lasting, efficient drugs. Genetically modified T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CAR), are promising new drugs that can be directed towards a defined target and have shown efficient, as well as persisting, anti-tumor responses in many patients. We sought to develop novel CAR T cells targeting ovarian cancer and to assess these candidates preclinically. First, we identified potential CAR targets on ovarian cancer samples. We confirmed high and consistent expressions of the tumor-associated antigen FOLR1 on primary ovarian cancer samples. Subsequently, we designed a series of CAR T cell candidates against the identified target and demonstrated their functionality against ovarian cancer cell lines in vitro and in an in vivo xenograft model. Finally, we performed additional in vitro assays recapitulating immune suppressive mechanisms present in solid tumors and developed a process for the automated manufacturing of our CAR T cell candidate. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of anti-FOLR1 CAR T cells for ovarian cancer and potentially other FOLR1-expressing tumors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Immunotherapies: CAR-T Cell Therapy for Cancers)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

29 pages, 775 KiB

Open AccessReview

Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-Cell Therapy in Hematologic Malignancies: Clinical Implications and Limitations

by Philipp Blüm and Sabine Kayser

Cancers 2024, 16(8), 1599; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16081599 - 22 Apr 2024

Viewed by 828

Abstract

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has become a powerful treatment option in B-cell and plasma cell malignancies, and many patients have benefited from its use. To date, six CAR T-cell products have been approved by the FDA and EMA, and many more are being developed and investigated in clinical trials. The whole field of adoptive cell transfer has experienced an unbelievable development process, and we are now at the edge of a new era of immune therapies that will have its impact beyond hematologic malignancies. Areas of interest are, e.g., solid oncology, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, and others. Although much has been achieved so far, there is still a huge effort needed to overcome significant challenges and difficulties. We are witnessing a rapid expansion of knowledge, induced by new biomedical technologies and CAR designs. The era of CAR T-cell therapy has just begun, and new products will widen the therapeutic landscape in the future. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the clinical applications of CAR T-cells, focusing on the approved products and emphasizing their benefits but also indicating limitations and challenges. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Immunotherapies: CAR-T Cell Therapy for Cancers)

► Show Figures