History of Immunotherapy and CAR T Cells

Immunotherapy and Adoptive Cell Transfer

One of the most promising fields in cancer research is immunotherapy – manipulating the existing immune system to specifically attack tumors. Research on how to use the body’s immune system to fight cancer (immuno-oncology) is rapidly increasing and provide new possible options for cancer treatment. The majority of immunotherapy involves the lymphocytes: B-cells and T-cells (Figure 1). T-cells destroy infected or cancerous cells and help control the immune response. B-cells produce antibodies, which alert the immune system to destroy foreign pathogens. These cells already exist in the body to help defend against diseases, where immunotherapy’s goal is to increase the efficiency and efficacy of these defenses.