About this Research Topic
Traditional cancer therapies—surgery, drugs, and radiation treatments—have varied in success. Often, these treatments were harsh, sometimes proving more debilitating than the disease itself. While some treatments managed to extend life, they frequently led to aggressive relapses that were difficult to mitigate with additional interventions. Despite its inception over 100 years ago, immunotherapy (IT) only began to gain serious traction in the 1980s with the advent of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). This advancement paved the way for IT to be recognized as a fourth modality in cancer treatment. A major advantage of IT is its non-surgical approach, sparing patients significant pain and trauma. Initial IT protocols, primarily based on mAbs, set the stage with the approval of Rituxan, the first mAb for oncology. Today, mAb-based therapies benefit patients worldwide and are on track to becoming a trillion-dollar industry. The future of mAb-based therapy lies in the use of combination or cocktail treatments, tailored to meet individual patient needs. The efficacy of the human immune response is evident, and we are now beginning to understand its cellular and molecular components. This knowledge could eventually enable us to replicate these natural responses in the lab and clinical settings, harnessing both humoral and cellular arms of the immune system to treat diseases effectively.
The immune system operates with two critical responses: the humoral and the cellular. mAb-based therapies derive from the humoral response, while recent investigations into the cellular immune response have led to the emerging field of CAR-T (chimeric antigen receptor T-cell) therapies. The development of CAR-T procedures has also introduced checkpoint inhibitors, potentially establishing a fifth cancer treatment modality.
The goal of this Research Topic is to highlight both the pioneering work in the field and the current advancements in combination protocols and CAR-T therapy investigations. We aim to explore future directions for IT protocols and the potential immune tools that could lead to cures. Additionally, we seek to understand the applicability of IT beyond oncology, such as in treating autoimmune and infectious diseases.
The scope of this Research Topic includes all aspects of immunotherapy, including mAb-based therapies, CAR-T therapies, and their combinations. We welcome original research articles as well as topical reviews.
The immune system operates with two critical responses: the humoral and the cellular. mAb-based therapies derive from the humoral response, while recent investigations into the cellular immune response have led to the emerging field of CAR-T (chimeric antigen receptor T-cell) therapies. The development of CAR-T procedures has also introduced checkpoint inhibitors, potentially establishing a fifth cancer treatment modality.
The goal of this Research Topic is to highlight both the pioneering work in the field and the current advancements in combination protocols and CAR-T therapy investigations. We aim to explore future directions for IT protocols and the potential immune tools that could lead to cures. Additionally, we seek to understand the applicability of IT beyond oncology, such as in treating autoimmune and infectious diseases.
The scope of this Research Topic includes all aspects of immunotherapy, including mAb-based therapies, CAR-T therapies, and their combinations. We welcome original research articles as well as topical reviews.
Keywords: CAR-T, immunotherapy, cancer, mAb
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.
