CAR T Cells in Human Cancers

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 November 2025 | Viewed by 820

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
Interests: CAR T cells; cancer immunotherapy; immune checkpoint inhibitors; CAR T cell engineering; tumor microenvironment

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Guest Editor
Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
Interests: human cancers; radiation therapy; cancer biology; breast cancer; lipid metabolism
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer immunotherapies have transformed the treatment landscape, offering new hope for patients with cancers once considered difficult to treat. Among these therapies, CAR T cells have shown remarkable success in hematologic cancers and are being explored for their potential in solid tumors. However, challenges remain in improving their efficacy, persistence, and safety. Beyond CAR T cells, other immune-based therapies, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, TCR-T cells, and NK cell-based therapies, are also gaining attention for their ability to harness the immune system to target cancer.

We are pleased to announce a Special Issue of Cells, titled "CAR T Cells in Human Cancers". This Special Issue invites researchers to submit original research and reviews exploring innovations in cancer immunotherapy. We encourage contributions on CAR T cells, as well as other engineered immune cell therapies, focusing on CAR T design improvements, mechanisms of action, tumor microenvironment modulation, combination therapies, immune checkpoint modulation, and novel strategies to improve treatment outcomes in hematologic and solid cancers. This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the diverse landscape of cancer immunotherapies and their potential to reshape cancer treatment.

Dr. Tabish H. Khan
Dr. Naoshad Muhammad
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • CAR T cells
  • engineered immune cell therapies
  • CAR T cell engineering

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 1949 KB  
Article
Engineering of Humanized PSMA-Directed CAR T Cells for Potent and Specific Elimination of Prostate Cancer Cells
by Tobias D. Deller, Jamal Alzubi, Laura Mosti, Marie Peschers, Christian Gratzke, Philipp Wolf and Toni Cathomen
Cells 2025, 14(17), 1333; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14171333 - 28 Aug 2025
Viewed by 659
Abstract
Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has achieved high response rates in patients with relapsed or refractory hematologic malignancies. However, comparable efficacy in solid tumors remains limited, partly due to poor CAR T cell persistence and immune-mediated rejection. A major contributor, which [...] Read more.
Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has achieved high response rates in patients with relapsed or refractory hematologic malignancies. However, comparable efficacy in solid tumors remains limited, partly due to poor CAR T cell persistence and immune-mediated rejection. A major contributor, which has hampered the clinical efficacy of CAR T cells in clinical practice, is the immunogenicity of the murine-derived single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) commonly used in CAR constructs. Cell and humoral immune responses to the murine parts of CARs have been implicated in CAR T cell rejection. Here, we describe the generation and in vitro characterization of humanized CAR T cells targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) on prostate cancer cells, based on two distinct murine scFvs (A5 and D7). Humanization improved the germinality index and successfully preserved CAR surface expression. Functional assays demonstrated that humanized PSMA-CAR T cells retained antigen-specific binding, activation and cytotoxicity, differentiation, exhaustion and cytokine secretion profiles comparable to their murine counterparts. These results support the feasibility of humanization as a strategy to reduce immunogenicity without compromising CAR T cell capabilities, providing a foundation for further in vivo validation in solid tumor settings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue CAR T Cells in Human Cancers)
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