A novel immunotherapy — The history of CAR T-cell therapy

Abstract

Robust research over the past 30 years has led recently to the first approval of genetically enhanced T lymphocytes expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CAR T-cells) as a tool to fight cancer. The backbone of the aforementioned therapy is to equip patients’ T lymphocytes in a genetically modified receptor that can recognise the antigen present on the surface of a cancer cell with the accuracy of a specific antibody, and to ignite a cytotoxic reaction against it with the function of the T-lymphocyte receptor. Ground-breaking results achieved in patients with haematological malignancies led to multiple clinical trials of CAR T-cell-based therapy in solid tumours. Regardless of the initial hurdles, recent reports suggest that continuous evolution and further improvements of CAR T-cell therapy for solid tumours is as successful as that observed in haematology. Despite the fact that enormous efforts are still to be made, implementation of CAR T-cells into the clinical oncologist’s daily routine practice was never as plausible as it is today.