Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Tumor Immunotherapy01:27

Tumor Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a treatment that boosts or manipulates the immune system to fight diseases, including cancer. For instance, by stimulating an immune response through vaccinations against viruses that cause cancers, like hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus, these diseases can be prevented. Nonetheless, some cancer cells can avoid the immune system due to their rapid mutation and division. The immune response to many cancers involves three phases: elimination, equilibrium, and escape.
Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...
Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...
Mitogens and the Cell Cycle02:38

Mitogens and the Cell Cycle

Mitogens and their receptors play a crucial role in controlling the progression of the cell cycle. However, the loss of mitogenic control over cell division leads to tumor formation. Therefore, mitogens and mitogen receptors play an important role in cancer research. For instance, the epidermal growth factor (EGF) - a type of mitogen and its transmembrane receptor (EGFR), decides the fate of the cell's proliferation. When EGF binds to EGFR, a member of the ErbB family of tyrosine kinase...
Cancer Vaccines01:30

Cancer Vaccines

Cancer treatment vaccines are a rapidly evolving field that offers a promising approach to immunotherapy. Unlike traditional vaccines that prevent diseases, cancer treatment vaccines are designed to treat existing cancers by stimulating the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.
Cancer vaccines come in two categories: preventive (prophylactic) and treatment (active). Preventive vaccines, such as the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, protect against viruses that cause certain...
Cancer Therapies02:49

Cancer Therapies

Cancer therapies are various modes of treatment, such as surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy that are administered to cancer patients.
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Cytokine co-presentation on targeted lipid nanoparticles enhances in vivo T cell engineering.

Biomaterials·2026
Same author

De novo design of miniproteins targeting GPCRs.

Nature·2026
Same author

Development of bicistronic plasmids and fusion proteins for clinical translation of tumor immune reprogramming.

Molecular therapy. Advances·2026
Same author

REAPing the benefits of comprehensive specificity profiling for therapeutic antibody development.

Structure (London, England : 1993)·2026
Same author

Progress in Designing Cytokine Antagonist Antibodies for Cancer Therapy.

BioDrugs : clinical immunotherapeutics, biopharmaceuticals and gene therapy·2026
Same author

Miniaturized IL-2/anti-IL-2 immunocytokines selectively activate and support the <i>in vivo</i> persistence of regulatory T cells.

Frontiers in immunology·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Isolation and Expansion of Cytotoxic Cytokine-induced Killer T Cells for Cancer Treatment
11:11

Isolation and Expansion of Cytotoxic Cytokine-induced Killer T Cells for Cancer Treatment

Published on: January 24, 2020

Natural and Engineered Cytokines as Cancer Therapeutics.

Pilar O'Neal1, Sonya Kumar Bharathkar1, Amelia C McCue1

  • 1Department of Biomedical Engineering; Translational Tissue Engineering Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Annual Review of Cancer Biology
|July 10, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Cytokines are proteins crucial for cell communication and immune response, showing promise in cancer immunotherapy. Research explores using natural and engineered cytokines to target and treat cancer effectively.

Keywords:
cancer therapeuticscytokinesmolecular designprotein engineering

More Related Videos

A Novel Feeder-free System for Mass Production of Murine Natural Killer Cells In Vitro
10:36

A Novel Feeder-free System for Mass Production of Murine Natural Killer Cells In Vitro

Published on: January 9, 2018

Analysis of Human T Cell Activity in an Allogeneic Co-Culture Setting of Pre-Treated Tumor Cells
09:04

Analysis of Human T Cell Activity in an Allogeneic Co-Culture Setting of Pre-Treated Tumor Cells

Published on: March 7, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Isolation and Expansion of Cytotoxic Cytokine-induced Killer T Cells for Cancer Treatment
11:11

Isolation and Expansion of Cytotoxic Cytokine-induced Killer T Cells for Cancer Treatment

Published on: January 24, 2020

A Novel Feeder-free System for Mass Production of Murine Natural Killer Cells In Vitro
10:36

A Novel Feeder-free System for Mass Production of Murine Natural Killer Cells In Vitro

Published on: January 9, 2018

Analysis of Human T Cell Activity in an Allogeneic Co-Culture Setting of Pre-Treated Tumor Cells
09:04

Analysis of Human T Cell Activity in an Allogeneic Co-Culture Setting of Pre-Treated Tumor Cells

Published on: March 7, 2025

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Cytokines are soluble proteins vital for cellular communication and immune system regulation.
  • Their roles in cell fate, differentiation, proliferation, and survival implicate them in cancer development and clearance.
  • Cytokines are key targets for developing novel cancer immunotherapies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the fundamental biology of cytokines.
  • To survey the application of cytokines in cancer treatment and immunotherapy.
  • To discuss preclinical and clinical efforts involving cytokines in oncology.

Main Methods:

  • Review of scientific literature on cytokine biology and cancer applications.
  • Categorization of cytokines including interleukins, interferons, chemokines, growth factors, and hormones.
  • Analysis of preclinical and clinical studies on native and engineered cytokines.

Main Results:

  • Cytokines are essential for immune responses and heavily involved in cancer progression and control.
  • Both native and engineered cytokines are being investigated for targeted cancer immunotherapies.
  • Combining cytokines with other anticancer modalities shows potential but faces challenges.

Conclusions:

  • Cytokines offer significant therapeutic potential in oncology.
  • Harnessing cytokine activity is a key strategy in developing advanced cancer treatments.
  • Further research is needed to overcome challenges and optimize cytokine-based cancer therapies.