title: Targeted immunotherapy of cancer with CAR T cells: achievements and challenges.
abstract: The adoptive transfer of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-expressing T cells is a relatively new but promising approach in the field of cancer immunotherapy. This therapeutic strategy is based on the genetic reprogramming of T cells with an artificial immune receptor that redirects them against targets on malignant cells and enables their destruction by exerting T cell effector functions. There has been an explosion of interest in the use of CAR T cells as an immunotherapy for cancer. In the pre-clinical setting, there has been a considerable focus upon optimizing the structural and signaling potency of the CAR while advances in bio-processing technology now mean that the clinical testing of these gene-modified T cells has become a reality. This review will summarize the concept of CAR-based immunotherapy and recent clinical trial activity and will further discuss some of the likely future challenges facing CAR-modified T cell therapies.
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Experimental Immunotherapy Group, School of Cancer and Enabling Sciences, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: Grazyna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lipowska-Bhalla
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Gilham
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Hawkins
authors.forename: Dominic G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Rothwell
mesh_terms: D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D006801:Humans; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive / Q000379:methods*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins