Year: 2012
Type: editorial
Abstract: Translational medicine depends on a rapid and efficient exchange of results between the bench and the bedside. A recent example from the field of cancer immunotherapy highlights the essential nature of this exchange. Methods have been developed to convert a patient's cytotoxic T cells into efficient and specific killers of cancer cells in patients with leukemia. By using recombinant DNA techniques, a lentiviral vector was constructed to express chimeric antigen receptors in cytotoxic T cells from patients with advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The purpose of the chimeric receptors was to direct the cytotoxic T cell activity against cells causing the cancer. The effect of infusing the engineered T cells back into the cancer patients was tested in a Phase I trial at the University of Pennsylvania, and the initial results were described in two articles from the research team of Dr. Carl June. The remarkable success of this trial should energize further applications of biotechnology in the development of new cancer immunotherapies.
Source: BMC Biotechnology
Author: Marko Radic
Institution: University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Language: English
Topic: CAR-T cell therapy research
Subfield: Oncology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,990
OpenAlex ID: W1970705685