Advances in Vaccines, Checkpoint Blockade, and Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Based Cancer Immunotherapeutics

Crit Rev Immunol. 2025;45(1):65-80. doi: 10.1615/CritRevImmunol.2024053025.

Abstract

Increase in cancer cases and research driven by understanding its causes, facilitated development of novel targeted immunotherapeutic strategies to overcome nonspecific cytotoxicity associated with conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy. These target specific immunotherapeutic regimens have been evaluated for their efficacy, including: (1) vaccines harnessing tumor specific/associated antigens, (2) checkpoint blockade therapy using monoclonal antibodies against PD1, CTLA-4 and others, and (3) adoptive cell transfer approaches viz. chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-cell-based therapies. Here, we review recent advancements on these target specific translational immunotherapeutic strategies against cancer/s and concerned limitations.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antigens, Neoplasm / immunology
  • Cancer Vaccines* / immunology
  • Cancer Vaccines* / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors* / therapeutic use
  • Immunotherapy* / methods
  • Immunotherapy, Adoptive / methods
  • Neoplasms* / immunology
  • Neoplasms* / therapy
  • Receptors, Chimeric Antigen* / immunology

Substances

  • Receptors, Chimeric Antigen
  • Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors
  • Cancer Vaccines
  • Antigens, Neoplasm