The Highest Mountain: T-Cell Technology

Abstract

T-lymphocytes (T-cell) therapy offers a treatment for cancers. Developing this technology in the future provides the opportunity to revolutionise treatment and to make cancer a chronic condition. T-cells in themselves are a type of lymphocytes (itself a type of white blood cell) that play a central role in cell mediated immunity. They can be distinguished from other lymphocytes, such as B-cells and natural killer cells (NK cells), by the presence of a T-cell receptor (TCR) on the cell surface. T-cells have the capacity to destroy diseased cells, but tumours present a considerable challenge that reduces their impact. As cancer cells are frequently ‘invisible’ to the immune system, and they create an environment that suppresses T-cell activity., genetic engineering of T-cells can be used therapeutically to overcome these challenges. T-cells can be taken from the blood of cancer patients and then modified to recognise and destroy cancer-specific antigens.