International Journal of Molecular Sciences

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Yonggu Lee

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Guest Editor

College of Pharmacy and Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Hanyang University, Ansan 15588, Republic of Korea
Interests: research on the development of Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell treatment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Immunotherapy, from an immune checkpoint inhibitor to adoptive T-cell therapy, has emerged as a revolutionary paradigmatic shift in the field of cancer treatment. Unlike conventional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation, which directly target tumor cells, immunotherapy provides novel approaches that redirect the immune system to combat malignant cells.

Understanding the molecular mechanisms of immunotherapy is essential for advancing our comprehension of how this revolutionary approach can reshape the landscape of cancer treatment. This knowledge could empower researchers, clinicians, and healthcare practitioners to make informed decisions, tailor treatments to individual patients, and design more effective therapeutic strategies.

This Special Issue of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences journal is designed to serve as a foundational guide for researchers, clinicians, and students seeking to comprehend the intricate molecular underpinnings of immunotherapeutic strategies in cancer treatment. By illuminating the synergistic dance between the immune system and cancer cells and by presenting the latest advancements in the field, this Special Issue fosters a deeper appreciation of the transformative potential of immunotherapy in reshaping the landscape of cancer therapy.

Dr. Yonggu Lee
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

cellular immunotherapy
adoptive immunotherapy
chimeric antigen receptor T-cell
epigenetic modulation
immunometabolism
microbiome
immune checkpoint inhibitor
cancer vaccine

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 3189 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Lectin-like Transcript-1 (LLT1) Expression in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinomas: Prognostic Significance and Relationship with the Tumor Immune Microenvironment

by Juan C. de Vicente, Paloma Lequerica-Fernández, Juan P. Rodrigo, Tania Rodríguez-Santamarta, Verónica Blanco-Lorenzo, Llara Prieto-Fernández, Daniela Corte-Torres, Aitana Vallina, Francisco Domínguez-Iglesias, Saúl Álvarez-Teijeiro and Juana M. García-Pedrero

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(8), 4314; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25084314 - 13 Apr 2024

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Abstract

Lectin-like transcript-1 (LLT1) expression is detected in different cancer types and is involved in immune evasion. The present study investigates the clinical relevance of tumoral and stromal LLT1 expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and relationships with the immune infiltrate into the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). Immunohistochemical analysis of LLT1 expression was performed in 124 OSCC specimens, together with PD-L1 expression and the infiltration of CD20⁺, CD4⁺, and CD8⁺ lymphocytes and CD68⁺ and CD163⁺-macrophages. Associations with clinicopathological variables, prognosis, and immune cell densities were further assessed. A total of 41 (33%) OSCC samples showed positive LLT1 staining in tumor cells and 55 (44%) positive LLT1 in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). Patients harboring tumor-intrinsic LLT1 expression exhibited poorer survival, suggesting an immunosuppressive role. Conversely, positive LLT1 expression in TILs was significantly associated with better disease-specific survival, and also an immune-active tumor microenvironment highly infiltrated by CD8⁺ T cells and M1/M2 macrophages. Furthermore, the combination of tumoral and stromal LLT1 was found to distinguish three prognostic categories (favorable, intermediate, and adverse; p = 0.029, Log-rank test). Together, these data demonstrate the prognostic relevance of tumoral and stromal LLT1 expression in OSCC, and its potential application to improve prognosis prediction and patient stratification. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Immunotherapy in Cancer: Molecular Basis and Novel Therapeutic Approaches)

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Review

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13 pages, 942 KiB

Open AccessReview

CD6 and Its Interacting Partners: Newcomers to the Block of Cancer Immunotherapies

by Lucía Aragón-Serrano, Laura Carrillo-Serradell, Violeta Planells-Romeo, Marcos Isamat, María Velasco-de Andrés and Francisco Lozano

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(24), 17510; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242417510 - 15 Dec 2023

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Abstract

Cancer management still requires more potent and safer treatments, of which immunomodulatory receptors on the lymphocyte surface have started to show promise in new cancer immunotherapies (e.g., CTLA-4 and PD-1). CD6 is a signal-transducing transmembrane receptor, mainly expressed by all T cells and some B and NK cell subsets, whose endogenous ligands (CD166/ALCAM, CD318/CDCP-1, Galectins 1 and 3) are overexpressed by malignant cells of different lineages. This places CD6 as a potential target for novel therapies against haematological and non-haematological malignancies. Recent experimental evidence for the role of CD6 in cancer immunotherapies is summarised in this review, dealing with diverse and innovative strategies from the classical use of monoclonal antibodies to soluble recombinant decoys or the adoptive transfer of immune cells engineered with chimeric antigen receptors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Immunotherapy in Cancer: Molecular Basis and Novel Therapeutic Approaches)

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