Immunotherapy: Examining Strategies to Address Cancer Complexity
- 1Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas Sols-Morreale (CSIC-UAM), Arturo Duperier 4, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- 2Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CIBERCV), Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- 3Faculty of Experimental Science, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Pozuelo de Alarcón, 28223 Madrid, Spain
Abstract
Understanding the interplay between immune and stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment is essential for developing effective cancer therapies and preventing relapses. In this review, starting with the basics of tumor immunology and a historical review from cancer chemotherapy to current immunotherapy, in the context of precision medicine, we focus on immunotherapies based on genetically modified macrophages, and chimeric T-cell antigen receptor (CAR), highlighting the similarities and differences between TCR-endogenous signaling and CART-dependent signaling at the immune synapse, presenting all the generations that have been developed briefly, followed by NK cell-dependent CAR therapeutic approaches where a comparison is established, analyzing their respective advantages and drawbacks. Targeting the tumor-immune microenvironment has become central to cancer treatment, with combinatorial therapies applied and assessed as a feasible strategy for this complex group of diverse pathologies. In this context, modulating the immune synapse, rewiring immune cell metabolism, and developing genetically engineered immune cells have emerged as promising approaches that open novel avenues for treating and managing cancer patients. This review offers a holistic, historical view of state-of-the-art molecular approaches, along with insights into future perspectives and current limitations of the technologies supporting immunotherapy in molecular oncology.
Related
- Immune cell-derived exosomes in the tumor microenvironment: mechanisms of immune evasion and emerging therapeutic strategies in cancer immunotherapy
- 1017 Computational design of de novo antigen-specific T cell receptors using AI optimization and long-time-scale molecular simulations for targeted cancer immunotherapy
- Non-coding RNA delivery via lipid nanoparticles: a novel strategy for cancer immunotherapy
- Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Colorectal Cancer: From Immune Regulation to Immunotherapy
- New perspective on epigenetic modification and immunotherapy in endometrial cancer.
BibTeX
@article{povoretana2026immunotherapy,
title = {{Immunotherapy: Examining Strategies to Address Cancer Complexity}},
author = {Adrián Povo-Retana and Javier Ruiz-Navarro and Lucía Fernández-Frías and Carlota Alvarez-Lucena and Rodrigo Landauro-Vera and Manuel Izquierdo and Lisardo Boscá},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27219930},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/21/9930},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Immunotherapy: Examining Strategies to Address Cancer Complexity
AU - Adrián Povo-Retana
AU - Javier Ruiz-Navarro
AU - Lucía Fernández-Frías
AU - Carlota Alvarez-Lucena
AU - Rodrigo Landauro-Vera
AU - Manuel Izquierdo
AU - Lisardo Boscá
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/06
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27219930
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/21/9930
AB - Understanding the interplay between immune and stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment is essential for developing effective cancer therapies and preventing relapses. In this review, starting with the basics of tumor immunology and a historical review from cancer chemotherapy to current immunotherapy, in the context of precision medicine, we focus on immunotherapies based on genetically modified macrophages, and chimeric T-cell antigen receptor (CAR), highlighting the similarities and differences between TCR-endogenous signaling and CART-dependent signaling at the immune synapse, presenting all the generations that have been developed briefly, followed by NK cell-dependent CAR therapeutic approaches where a comparison is established, analyzing their respective advantages and drawbacks. Targeting the tumor-immune microenvironment has become central to cancer treatment, with combinatorial therapies applied and assessed as a feasible strategy for this complex group of diverse pathologies. In this context, modulating the immune synapse, rewiring immune cell metabolism, and developing genetically engineered immune cells have emerged as promising approaches that open novel avenues for treating and managing cancer patients. This review offers a holistic, historical view of state-of-the-art molecular approaches, along with insights into future perspectives and current limitations of the technologies supporting immunotherapy in molecular oncology.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -