The Promise of Personalized TCR-Based Cellular Immunotherapy for Cancer Patients

Mutation-derived neoantigens are now established as attractive targets for cancer immunotherapy. The field of adoptive T cell transfer (ACT) therapy was significantly reshaped by tumor neoantigens and is now moving towards the genetic engineering of T cells with neoantigen-specific T cell receptors (TCRs). Yet, the identification of neoantigen-reactive TCRs remains challenging and the process needs to be adapted to clinical timelines. In addition, the state of recipient T cells for TCR transduction is critical and can affect TCR-ACT efficacy. Here we provide an overview of the main strategies for TCR-engineering, describe the selection and expansion of optimal carrier cells for TCR-ACT and discuss the next-generation methods for rapid identification of relevant TCR candidates for gene transfer therapy.

Strategies and Advances in Tumor Immunotherapy

Cancer is a serious threat to human health and is the most interesting research field at present. Compared to conventional treatments, tumor immunotherapy has a unique advantage in cancer treatment, favored by more and more outcomes from research or clinical trials of institutions and pharmaceutical companies, which is showing a booming trend recently. Due to the complexity of the immune system, tumor immunotherapy covers a variety of mechanisms and approaches, including immune checkpoint inhibition, vaccine-based therapies, adoptive T cell transfer, and therapeutic antibodies. Through the investigation of a large number of literature and database information, this paper focuses on the mechanisms and applications of current immunotherapies, aiming to explain the general trend and direction of tumor immunotherapy development.