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Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research

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Open Access 01-12-2021 | Cancer Immunotherapy | Review

CRISPR/Cas9 revitalizes adoptive T-cell therapy for cancer immunotherapy

Authors: Sasan Ghaffari, Nastaran Khalili, Nima Rezaei

Published in: Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research | Issue 1/2021

Abstract

Cancer immunotherapy has gained attention as the supreme therapeutic modality for the treatment of various malignancies. Adoptive T-cell therapy (ACT) is one of the most distinctive modalities of this therapeutic approach, which seeks to harness the potential of combating cancer cells by using autologous or allogenic tumor-specific T-cells. However, a plethora of circumstances must be optimized to produce functional, durable, and efficient T-cells. Recently, the potential of ACT has been further realized by the introduction of novel gene-editing platforms such as the CRISPR/Cas9 system; this technique has been utilized to create T-cells furnished with recombinant T-cell receptor (TCR) or chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that have precise tumor antigen recognition, minimal side effects and treatment-related toxicities, robust proliferation and cytotoxicity, and nominal exhaustion. Here, we aim to review and categorize the recent breakthroughs of genetically modified TCR/CAR T-cells through CRISPR/Cas9 technology and address the pearls and pitfalls of each method. In addition, we investigate the latest ongoing clinical trials that are applying CRISPR-associated TCR/CAR T-cells for the treatment of cancers.

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Title: CRISPR/Cas9 revitalizes adoptive T-cell therapy for cancer immunotherapy
Authors: Sasan Ghaffari
Nastaran Khalili
Nima Rezaei
Publication date: 01-12-2021
Publisher: BioMed Central
Keyword: Cancer Immunotherapy
Published in: Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research / Issue 1/2021
Electronic ISSN: 1756-9966
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13046-021-02076-5

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