About this Research Topic

Background

Gene editing technologies, particularly CRISPR-Cas9 and its derivatives, have recently emerged as powerful tools in biomedical research, revealing tremendous potential for changing cancer therapy. These cutting-edge methods give scientists the ability to precisely alter the genome, opening up possibilities to alter or disrupt cancer-related genes, enhance immune responses against tumors, and develop new therapeutic strategies. Although significant progress has been made, it is still extremely difficult to translate these innovations from experimental settings into clinically effective medicines.


Cancer continues to be one of the most difficult diseases in modern medicine because of its complex and varied nature. However, the advent of gene editing has opened up new possibilities for targeted and customized cancer therapy. With the potential for precise genome-level treatments made possible by these cutting-edge gene editing technologies, cancer's underlying genetic and epigenetic abnormalities that fuel carcinogenesis can be tackled. Exploring these techniques' broad applicability in the field of cancer therapy is becoming important as these gene editing technologies develop and expand.

Despite the incredible potential of gene editing in cancer therapy, there are still a number of significant issues that must be resolved. These include improving the delivery of gene editing tools to the tumor site, enhancing the delivery of gene editing tools to tumor areas, reducing off-target effects, assuring the safety and long-term efficacy of altered cells, and managing ethical and regulatory concerns. It is crucial to close the knowledge gap between theoretical clinical applications and practical clinical applications in order to fully grasp the potential of gene editing in cancer therapy.


Recent developments in gene editing technology, like the creation of more precise and manageable editing systems and enhanced delivery techniques, provide answers to these problems. Furthermore, new combination therapies have been made possible by a deeper understanding of the tumor microenvironment and the immune response to altered cells. This research topic aims to explore these recent developments and how they might be used to overcome the current obstacles in the clinical application of gene editing in cancer treatment.

The following themes are encouraged to be explored within the parameters of this research topic by contributors:
• Improving Gene Editing Methods: Discussing current developments in gene editing technologies, like CRISPR-based systems, base editing, and prime editing, and how they can be used to target particular cancer-related genes.
• Delivery Strategies: Researching novel ways to distribute gene editing tools to target cancer cells in order to increase their effectiveness and selectivity while reducing side effects.
• Safety and Efficacy: Investigating techniques for the long-term safety and efficacy of altered cells, including monitoring and reducing the possibility of side effects.
• Immunotherapy and Combination Approaches: Exploring gene editing for cancer immunotherapy, such as enhancing the immune responses against tumors and creating combination treatments.
• Ethical and Regulatory Considerations: Overviewing recent regulatory frameworks and ethical conundrums related to the use of gene editing in cancer therapy and recommending appropriate ethical standards and policies.

Original research articles, reviews, case studies, and opinion pieces are all welcome for contribution to this topic. We welcome contributions that shed light on current developments in gene editing techniques and their useful applications in cancer therapy. Manuscripts that examine the legal, ethical, and medical aspects of using gene editing for cancer treatment are also encouraged.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Tumor microenvironment (TME), Cancer therapy, Genome editing, immune cells, CRISPR, CAR-T

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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