The human application of gene therapy to re-program T-cell specificity using chimeric antigen receptors

The adoptive transfer of T cells is a promising approach to treat cancers. Primary human T cells can be modified using viral and non-viral vectors to promote the specific targeting of cancer cells via the introduction of exogenous T-cell receptors (TCRs) or chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). This gene transfer displays the potential to increase the specificity and potency of the anticancer response while decreasing the systemic adverse effects that arise from conventional treatments that target both cancerous and healthy cells. This review highlights the generation of clinical-grade T cells expressing CARs for immunotherapy, the use of these cells to target B-cell malignancies and, particularly, the first clinical trials deploying the Sleeping Beauty gene transfer system, which engineers T cells to target CD19⁺ leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.