CAR-T: Expression, Expansion, and Clinical Applications

Abstract

Understanding and treating cancer is one the top priorities in medical research. The use of chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CAR-T) are increasing in popularity in the research and treatment of cancer due to their ability to utilize the expansion and killing effects of cytotoxic T cells while also having binding specificity through the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). CAR expression and CAR-T expansion are critical for proper CAR-T functionality. Toxicity has been associated with the treatment of cancers with CAR-T however methods to control and decrease toxicity have been developed. While they first became popular for the treatment of B-cell lymphomas they are expanding to the treatment of other cancers. In this review we will discuss the current methods for CAR-T expansion, expression, and toxicity prevention while also covering current clinical applications of this therapy.