Breakthrough for anticancer immunotherapy: current advances in manufacturing protocols of chimeric antigen receptor-based therapies
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Qian, Yuxin
Ma, Weiwei
Xu, Xiao-Ning
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-based immunotherapy has emerged as a transformative strategy in anticancer treatment, driven by advances in CAR construct design, manufacturing platforms, and expansion to diverse immune cell types. The landmark success of CD19-targeted CAR-T cell therapy in B cell malignancies has paved the way for broader clinical applications. As of 2025, the U.S. FDA has approved multiple autologous CAR-T products, underscoring their therapeutic promise. However, challenges persist, including cytokine release syndrome (CRS), neurotoxicity, product inconsistency, and the high cost and complexity of cell manufacturing. Variations in cell source, gene delivery methods, expansion protocols, and CAR design significantly influence the safety, efficacy, and scalability of these therapies. In this review, we comprehensively examine the current advances in manufacturing protocols for CAR-modified T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, and unconventional T cell subsets, including γδ T, invariant natural killer T (iNKT), and mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells. We also highlight emerging innovations such as in vivo CAR-T generation and off-the-shelf allogeneic approaches. By integrating updated strategies with a critical evaluation of current limitations, this review aims to support the development of standardized, robust, and accessible CAR-based immunotherapies.
Date Issued
2025-12-01
Date Acceptance
2025-12-03
Citation
Antibodies, 2025, 14 (4)
ISSN
2073-4468
Publisher
MDPI AG
Journal / Book Title
Antibodies
Volume
14
Issue
4
Copyright Statement
© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/)
License URL
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
105
Date Publish Online
2025-12-08