Chimeric Antigen Receptors for Cancer Immunotherapy

The adoptive transfer of T lymphocytes expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) has emerged as a promising treatment for various lymphoid and solid malignancies. Patients treated with CAR-T cells have achieved dramatic responses and in some cases, complete tumor eradication. Given that CARs combine the specificity of a monoclonal antibody with the internal signaling domains of T cells, there is flexibility for choice of target antigen and strength of T-cell activation. This targeting mechanism also relinquishes the need for antigen processing and presentation via the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), making CARs a very attractive therapeutic option for the majority of patients. This review describes current methodological strategies used to generate CAR molecules, how to insert these molecules in T lymphocytes and how to evaluate the functionality of these CAR-T cells using various in vitro and in vivo experiments.