Imaging of T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors

A brief review concerning Chimeric Antigen Receptors T cell therapy

The understanding concerning the function of immune system in cancer has achieved considerable advance with time passes by. Manipulating genetically engineered immune cells were investigated as a novel strategy for treating cancer. Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) are recombinant protein molecules by merging the exquisite targeting the potent cytotoxicity of T cells and specificity of monoclonal antibodies and, which could trigger serial cascades of signal transduction and thereby activate T cells to directly destroy the tumor cells. Manufacturing CAR-modified T lymphocytes were successfully implemented in treating cancer derived from they could specifically retarget tumor-associated antigens, causing effective elimination of tumor cells, which spurred the optimization and development of new CAR-T cell technology. The advancement of synthetic biology methodologies of cell therapy in CAR-T would ultimately provide us with a much safer, reliable and efficient modality to against cancer. This review primarily described the emergence, development and application of cell therapy in CAR-T, then discuss the side effects and the potential factors of tumor reccurrence caused by CAR-T cell therapy, in addition to the corresponding countermeasure concerning complications.

CAR T cell therapy: newer approaches to counter resistance and cost

The genetically engineered Chimeric Antigen Receptor bearing T-cell (CAR T cell) therapy has been emerged as the new paradigm of cancer immunotherapy. However, recent studies have reported an increase in the number of relapsed haematological malignancies. This review provides newer insights into how the efficacy of CAR T cells might be increased by the application of new genome editing technologies, monitoring the complexity of tumor types and T cells sub-types. Next, tumor mutation burden along with tumormicroenvironment and epigenetic mechanisms of CAR T cell as well as tumor cell may play a vital role to tackle the cancer resistance mechanisms. These studies highlight the need to consider traditional cancer therapy in conjunction with CAR T cell therapy for relapsed or cases unresponsive to treatment. Of note, this therapy is highly expensive and requires multi-skill for successful implementation, which results in reduction of its accessibility/affordability to the patients. Here, we also propose a model for cost minimization of CAR T cell therapy by a collaboration of academia, hospitals and industry.

Reporter gene imaging of immune responses to cancer: progress and challenges

Immune responses to cancer are dynamic processes which take place through the concerted activity of innate and adaptive cell populations. In order to fully understand the efficacy of immune therapies for cancer, it is critical to understand how the treatment modulates the function of each cell type involved in the anti-tumor immune response. Molecular imaging is a versatile method for longitudinal studies of cellular localization and function. The development of reporter genes for tracking cell movement and function was a powerful addition to the immunologist's toolbox. This review will highlight the advances and challenges in the use of reporter gene imaging to track immune cell localization and function in cancer.