• Special Issue Topic

    Novel Strategies and Targets for Immunotherapy of Cancer

    Submission Deadline: September 30, 2023

    Guest Editor

    Prof. Seiji Okada E-Mail

    Division of Hematopoiesis, Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection & Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan

    Research Keywords: Targeting therapy; cancer immunotherapy; precision medicine; animal model; Patient-derived xenograft (PDX)


    About the Special Issue

    Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that helps the patients’ immune system to fight with cancer by boosting the power of immune cells. Immunotherapy used to be the way to nonspecifically activate immune system by cytokines or immune stimulants such as BCG, and it was just an adjunctive therapy of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Recently, immunotherapy is becoming the main actor of cancer therapy by developing various therapeutic approaches and therapies such as monoclonal antibodies, immune check point inhibitors, T-cell transfer therapy such as CAR-T therapy, etc. Immune system modulators such as interferons are also clinically in use and effective in some sort of cancers. These immunotherapies still have ample scope for improvement. The aim of this special issue is to discuss the latest progress and future direction of cancer immunotherapy. We accept original research articles, critical review papers and commentaries that provide novel approaches and highlight the promising targets for cancer immunotherapies.

    Keywords: Immunotherapy; CAR-T; therapeutic monoclonal antibodies; immunomodulators; treatment vaccines; immune checkpoint inhibitors

    Published Articles

    Open Access
    Review
    It might be a dead end: immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in EGFR-mutated NSCLC
    Despite innovative advances in molecular targeted therapy, treatment strategies using immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant non-small cell lung cancer [...] Read more.
    Ken Akao ... Kazuyoshi Imaizumi
    Published: July 19, 2024 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2024;5:826–840
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2024.00251
    Open Access
    Review
    Immunopeptidomics in the cancer immunotherapy era
    Cancer is the primary cause of death worldwide, and conventional treatments are painful, complicated, and have negative effects on healthy cells. However, cancer immunotherapy has emerged as a promi [...] Read more.
    Sutatip Pongcharoen ... Supachai Topanurak
    Published: July 17, 2024 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2024;5:801–817
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2024.00249
    View:1650
    Download:59
    Times Cited: 0
    Open Access
    Review
    Promising immunotherapeutic approaches for primary effusion lymphoma
    Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is a large B-cell neoplasm usually presenting as a serious effusion in body cavities without detectable tumor masses. It is an AIDS-related non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma ( [...] Read more.
    Jutatip Panaampon, Seiji Okada
    Published: June 26, 2024 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2024;5:699–713
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2024.00242
    Open Access
    Review
    Tri-specific killer engager: unleashing multi-synergic power against cancer
    Cancer continues to be a global health concern, necessitating innovative solutions for treatment. Tri-specific killer engagers (TriKEs) have emerged as a promising class of immunotherapeutic agents, [...] Read more.
    Peeranut Winidmanokul ... Seiji Okada
    Published: April 25, 2024 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2024;5:432–448
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2024.00227
    View:1920
    Download:57
    Open Access
    Review
    Magnetite nanoparticles: an emerging adjunctive tool for the improvement of cancer immunotherapy
    Cancer immunotherapy has emerged as a groundbreaking field, offering promising and transformative tools for oncological research and treatment. However, it faces several limitations, including varia [...] Read more.
    Phoomipat Jungcharoen ... Charupong Saengboonmee
    Published: April 23, 2024 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2024;5:316–331
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2024.00220
    View:1361
    Download:30
    Open Access
    Review
    Novel therapeutic strategies targeting myeloid-derived suppressor cell immunosuppressive mechanisms for cancer treatment
    Cancer is the leading cause of death globally superseded only by cardiovascular diseases, and novel strategies to overcome therapeutic resistance against existing cancer treatments are urgently requ [...] Read more.
    Eric Jou ... Fizza Nasim
    Published: February 28, 2024 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2024;5:187–207
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2024.00212
    View:2277
    Download:36
    Open Access
    Review
    Recent preclinical and clinical advances in radioimmunotherapy for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
    Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) is a therapy that combines a radioactive nucleotide with a monoclonal antibody (mAb). RIT enhances the therapeutic effect of mAb and reduces toxicity compared with conventio [...] Read more.
    Hiroki Goto ... Seiji Okada
    Published: February 28, 2024 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2024;5:208–224
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2024.00213
    View:1594
    Download:54
    Open Access
    Case Report
    A case of immunotherapy-induced thyroiditis
    Immunotherapy treatments for cancer are known to cause adverse thyroid events which present a diagnostic challenge to clinicians and radiologists. This case report highlights the importance of a hig [...] Read more.
    George Pears ... Joseph Sacco
    Published: February 28, 2024 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2024;5:225–231
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2024.00214
    View:1769
    Download:24
    Times Cited: 0
    Open Access
    Review
    CD99 tumor associated antigen is a potential target for antibody therapy of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
    Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are an effective drug for targeted immunotherapy in several cancer types. However, so far, no antibody has been successfully developed for certain types of cancer, inclu [...] Read more.
    Kamonporn Kotemul ... Nuchjira Takheaw
    Published: February 19, 2024 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2024;5:96–107
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2024.00207
    View:1333
    Download:24
    Open Access
    Review
    Therapeutic significance of tumor microenvironment in cholangiocarcinoma: focus on tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes
    Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a highly aggressive type of adenocarcinoma distinguished by its invasiveness. Depending on specific anatomical positioning within the biliary tree, CCA can be categorized [...] Read more.
    Chaoqun Li ... Jieer Ying
    Published: December 28, 2023 Explor Target Antitumor Ther 2023;4:1310–1327
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2023.00199
    View:1295
    Download:12
    Open Access
    Original Article
    Chimeric single-chain variable fragment-human immunoglobulin G crystallizable fragment antibody against GD2 for neuroblastoma targeted immunotherapy
    Aim: The present study aims to generate chimeric mouse single-chain variable fragment (scFv) and immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) crystallizable fragment (Fc) antibody against disialoganglioside (GD2) fo [...] Read more.
    Witida Laopajon ... Watchara Kasinrerk
    Published: December 06, 2023 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2023;4:1145–1156
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2023.00188
    View:1378
    Download:24
    Times Cited: 0
    Open Access
    Commentary
    A decade of CD4+ chimeric antigen receptor T-cell evolution in two chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients: were chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells present?
    On Feb 2, 2022, Nature published the paper titled “Decade-long leukemia remissions with the persistence of CD4+ CAR T-cells” (Nature. 2022;602:503–9. doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-04390-6). Accordin [...] Read more.
    Dimitrios Bouzianas, Stella Bouziana
    Published: October 31, 2023 Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2023;4:1128–1135
    DOI: https://doi.org/10.37349/etat.2023.00186
    View:1385
    Download:18