Cancer Immunology: New Advances in Personalized Therapies

Dear Colleagues,

A compromised immune system is a hallmark of cancer. Dysfunctional immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) contribute to tumor growth, metastasis and resistance. Treatments aimed at restoring the immune system not only minimize toxicities and enhance patients’ quality of life but also pave the way for personalized therapy.

Even though the concept of using the host immune system to destroy cancer dates back to the nineteenth century, immunotherapy techniques have gained prominence in the oncology field in recent years. This is demonstrated by the approval of therapies involving CAR T-cells, bispecific T-cell engager antibodies, immune checkpoint inhibitors and cancer vaccines. Despite their encouraging clinical outcomes in a variety of cancer types, only a subset of patients benefit from these treatments. Recent advances in multi-omic technologies, biomarker identification, and neoantigen discovery have all helped to improve our understanding of the tumor-immune network within the TME. However, there are challenges that must be addressed in order to provide safe, effective and predictable personalized treatment for cancer.

This Special Issue aims to highlight recent developments in immune cell targeting, immunoprevention, immunotherapy and immune microenvironment modulation strategies for personalized cancer therapy.

In this Special Issue, original research articles, systematic reviews and other papers are welcome. Research areas may include the following: cell-based therapies, antibody-based therapies, immune-modulating agents, checkpoint inhibitor therapies, small-molecule agonists/antagonists/inhibitors, immune cell engagers, clinical trials, targeted drug delivery and novel immunotherapeutic combinations.

I look forward to receiving your contributions to this Special Issue.

Dr. John Victor Napoleon
Guest Editor

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