New Frontiers in Gene-Modified T Cell Technology

Download or read book New Frontiers in Gene-Modified T Cell Technology written by Ignazio Caruana and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2024-06-13 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The development, clinical translation and recent efficacy of novel gene therapies targeting refractory malignancies has led to research that extends this technology to a variety of infectious and rheumatological diseases. Unlike conventional drugs or antibodies, T cells have the potential to target and exert effector function in response to disease in a dynamic manner, acting as a “living drug”. The most efficacious form of gene-modified T cells to date is the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cell, which redirects the specificity of T cells to an antigen expressed by tumor cells. Clinical experience with autologous CAR-T cells, primarily in hematologic malignancies, has underscored the feasibility and safety of the approach, while also demonstrating dramatic and sustained antitumor effects through mechanisms orthogonal to those of traditional anticancer therapies. However, several challenging obstacles must be surmounted in order to improve the broader efficacy of this approach.