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Adoptive Immune Effector Cell Therapies in Cancer and Solid Organ Transplantation: A Review
Brittany Schreiber1, Sudipta Tripathi1, Sarah Nikiforow2
1Division of Renal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Abstract:
Cancer is one of the most devastating complications of kidney transplantation and constitutes one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among solid organ transplantation (SOT) recipients. Immunosuppression, although effective in preventing allograft rejection, inherently inhibits immune surveillance against oncogenic viral infections and malignancy. Adoptive cell therapy, particularly immune effector cell therapy, has long been a modality of interest in both cancer and transplantation, though has only recently stepped into the spotlight with the development of virus-specific T-cell therapy and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy. Although these modalities are best described in hematopoietic cell transplantation and hematologic malignancies, their potential application in the SOT setting may hold tremendous promise for those with limited therapeutic options. In this review, we provide a brief overview of the development of adoptive cell therapies with a focus on virus-specific T-cell therapy and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy. We also describe the current experience of these therapies in the SOT setting as well as the challenges in their application and future directions in their development.
Insights
Adoptive cell therapies, including virus-specific T-cell therapy and CAR T-cell therapy, show promise for preventing cancer in kidney transplant recipients. These innovative treatments aim to overcome immunosuppression
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Oncology
- Transplantation Medicine
Background:
- Cancer is a major cause of death in kidney transplant recipients.
- Immunosuppression, necessary for preventing organ rejection, increases cancer risk by weakening immune surveillance.
- Adoptive cell therapies offer a potential new strategy to combat post-transplant malignancy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the development of adoptive cell therapies.
- To focus on virus-specific T-cell therapy and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy.
- To explore their application in solid organ transplantation (SOT).
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on adoptive cell therapies.
- Focus on virus-specific T-cell and CAR T-cell therapy development.
- Analysis of current applications and challenges in the SOT setting.
Main Results:
- Adoptive cell therapies are emerging modalities with potential in SOT.
- Virus-specific T-cell and CAR T-cell therapies are leading examples.
- Challenges exist in applying these therapies to solid organ transplant recipients.
Conclusions:
- Adoptive cell therapies hold significant promise for managing cancer in SOT recipients.
- Further research and development are needed to overcome application challenges.
- These therapies represent a future direction for improving outcomes in transplant patients.
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