Treatment of solid tumors with chimeric antigen receptor-engineered T cells: current status and future prospects

Sci China Life Sci. 2016 Apr;59(4):360-9. doi: 10.1007/s11427-016-5025-6. Epub 2016 Mar 11.

Abstract

Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) are artificial recombinant receptors that generally combine the antigen-recognition domain of a monoclonal antibody with T cell activation domains. Recent years have seen great success in clinical trials employing CD19-specific CAR-T cell therapy for B cell leukemia. Nevertheless, solid tumors remain a major challenge for CAR-T cell therapy. This review summarizes the preclinical and clinical studies on the treatment of solid tumors with CAR-T cells. The major hurdles for the success of CAR-T and the novel strategies to address these hurdles have also been described and discussed.

Keywords: T cell; adoptive cell therapy; chimeric antigen receptor; solid tumor.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Clinical Trials as Topic / methods
  • Forecasting
  • Genetic Engineering / methods
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy, Adoptive / methods*
  • Immunotherapy, Adoptive / trends
  • Neoplasms / genetics
  • Neoplasms / immunology
  • Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Outcome Assessment, Health Care / methods
  • Outcome Assessment, Health Care / trends
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / genetics
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / immunology*
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / metabolism
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / immunology*
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / metabolism
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • T-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • T-Lymphocytes / transplantation*

Substances

  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins