Quantitative analysis of clinically relevant mutations occurring in lymphoid cells harboring gamma-retrovirus-encoded hsvtk suicide genes

Chimeric Antigen Receptors: A Cell and Gene Therapy Perspective

Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) are synthetic receptors that reprogram T lymphocytes to target chosen antigens. The targeting of CD19, a cell surface molecule expressed in the vast majority of leukemias and lymphomas, has been successfully translated in the clinic, earning CAR therapy a special distinction in the selection of "cancer immunotherapy" by Science as the breakthrough of the year in 2013. CD19 CAR therapy is predicated on advances in genetic engineering, T cell biology, tumor immunology, synthetic biology, target identification, cell manufacturing sciences, and regulatory compliance-the central tenets of CAR therapy. Here, we review two of these foundations: the genetic engineering approaches and cell types to engineer.

Adoptive T-cell immunotherapy of cancer using chimeric antigen receptor-grafted T cells

Harnessing the power of the immune system to target cancer has long been a goal of tumor immunologists. One avenue under investigation is the modification of T cells to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). Expression of such a receptor enables T-cell specificity to be redirected against a chosen tumor antigen. Substantial research in this field has been carried out, incorporating a wide variety of malignancies and tumor-associated antigens. Ongoing investigations will ensure this area continues to expand at a rapid pace. This review will explain the evolution of CAR technology over the last two decades in addition to detailing the associated benefits and disadvantages. The outcome of recent phase I clinical trials and the impact that these have had upon the direction of future research in this field will also be addressed.