Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy is an approach that uses your own immune cells to fight cancer and has shown great promise in treating some types of blood cancers.
Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) are recombinant receptors for antigens which redirect the specificity and function of T lymphocytes and/or other immune cells in a single molecule. The concept of using CARs in cancer immunotherapy is that CARs, which are programmed targeting tumor-associated antigens, can be replicated rapidly and homogeneously.
Direct infusion of these armed tumor targeting T-cells bypass the barriers and kinetics of active immunization. Unlike general passive immunization using a direct antibody, CAR-modified T-cell with supraphysiologic activities work as an active medication, interacting with tumor-associated antigens which resulting in both immediate and long-term effects of anti-neoplasm.
Besides the two approved medications targeting CD19 on B lymphocytic cells treating B-cell malignancies, multiple tumor-associated antigens have been under investigation in targeting various types of cancer, especially in solid tumors.
The following is a summary of reported tumor-associated antigens from a recent review, listing first the target and then the associated tumor(s) [8]:
- Epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) – non-small cell lung cancer, epithelial carcinoma, and glioma.
- Variant III of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFRvIII) – glioblastoma.
- Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2) – ovarian cancer, breast cancer, glioblastoma, colon cancer, osteosarcoma, and medulloblastoma.
- Mesothelin – mesothelioma, ovarian cancer, and pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
- Prostate-specific membrane antigen(PSMA) – prostate cancer.
- Carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA) – pancreatic adenocarcinoma, breast cancer, and colorectal carcinoma.
- Disialoganglioside 2(GD2) – neuroblastoma and melanoma.
- Interleukin-13Ra2 – glioma.
- Glypican-3 – hepatocellular carcinoma.
- Carbonic anhydrase IX(CAIX) – renal cell carcinoma.
- L1 cell adhesion molecule(L1-CAM) – neuroblastoma, melanoma, and ovarian adenocarcinoma.
- Cancer antigen 125 (CA 125) – epithelial ovarian cancer.
- Cluster of differentiation 133 (CD 133) – glioblastoma and cholangiocarcinoma.
- Fibroblast activation protein(FAP) – malignant pleural mesothelioma.
- Cancer/testis antigen 1B(CTAG1B) – melanoma and ovarian cancer.
- Mucin 1 – seminal vesicle cancer.
- Folate receptor-a(FR-a) – ovarian cancer.
