Advances and challenges in cancer immunotherapy: mechanisms, clinical applications, and future directions
Cancer is a major threat to public health today, particularly due to the emergence of drug resistance and disease re-emergence post-traditional treatment. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) support cancer progression through their immunosuppressive mechanisms expressing co-inhibitory molecules like programm...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Pharmacology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1602529/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849468933142216704 |
|---|---|
| author | Neeharika Vatsavai Sumeet Kaur Bhinder Rahaman Shaik Shaheen Mahira Shruti Kapoor Md Shadab Ali Deepak Verma Jay Singh Sreelakshmi Badavenkatappa Gari Prabhat Upadhyay Prabhat Upadhyay Yeva Meshkovska Chandraiah Godugu Sowjanya Thatikonda Venkatesh Pooladanda Venkatesh Pooladanda |
| author_facet | Neeharika Vatsavai Sumeet Kaur Bhinder Rahaman Shaik Shaheen Mahira Shruti Kapoor Md Shadab Ali Deepak Verma Jay Singh Sreelakshmi Badavenkatappa Gari Prabhat Upadhyay Prabhat Upadhyay Yeva Meshkovska Chandraiah Godugu Sowjanya Thatikonda Venkatesh Pooladanda Venkatesh Pooladanda |
| author_sort | Neeharika Vatsavai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cancer is a major threat to public health today, particularly due to the emergence of drug resistance and disease re-emergence post-traditional treatment. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) support cancer progression through their immunosuppressive mechanisms expressing co-inhibitory molecules like programmed cell death-1 (PD-1), cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4), T cell immunoglobin-3 (TIM-3), and T-cell immunoglobin and ITIM domain (TIGIT), that suppress T-cell activation and allow tumor cells to grow uncontrollably. Emerging cancer immunotherapeutic strategies targeting these checkpoints inhibit tumor-immune escape and impede cancer progression. This review highlights the mechanistic effects of these drugs and enumerates various critical combinatorial strategies that can be utilized for effective cancer treatment. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ada2a38b93b34f71a8531781a7465014 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1663-9812 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Pharmacology |
| spelling | doaj-art-ada2a38b93b34f71a8531781a74650142025-08-20T03:25:42ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Pharmacology1663-98122025-06-011610.3389/fphar.2025.16025291602529Advances and challenges in cancer immunotherapy: mechanisms, clinical applications, and future directionsNeeharika Vatsavai0Sumeet Kaur Bhinder1Rahaman Shaik2Shaheen Mahira3Shruti Kapoor4Md Shadab Ali5Deepak Verma6Jay Singh7Sreelakshmi Badavenkatappa Gari8Prabhat Upadhyay9Prabhat Upadhyay10Yeva Meshkovska11Chandraiah Godugu12Sowjanya Thatikonda13Venkatesh Pooladanda14Venkatesh Pooladanda15Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad, Telangana, IndiaDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research, Punjabi University, Patiala, IndiaDepartment of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, IndiaDepartment of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United StatesMolecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United StatesDepartment of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, IndiaDepartment of Oncology, School of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center (SKCCC), Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United StatesLaboratory Oncology Unit, Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital (Dr BRA-IRCH), All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, IndiaFaculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Anantapur (JNTUA), Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, India0Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States1Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States2Department of Head & Neck-Endocrine Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, United States3Department of Regulatory Toxicology, Biological Sciences, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Hyderabad, Telangana, India2Department of Head & Neck-Endocrine Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, United States0Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States1Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United StatesCancer is a major threat to public health today, particularly due to the emergence of drug resistance and disease re-emergence post-traditional treatment. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) support cancer progression through their immunosuppressive mechanisms expressing co-inhibitory molecules like programmed cell death-1 (PD-1), cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4), T cell immunoglobin-3 (TIM-3), and T-cell immunoglobin and ITIM domain (TIGIT), that suppress T-cell activation and allow tumor cells to grow uncontrollably. Emerging cancer immunotherapeutic strategies targeting these checkpoints inhibit tumor-immune escape and impede cancer progression. This review highlights the mechanistic effects of these drugs and enumerates various critical combinatorial strategies that can be utilized for effective cancer treatment.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1602529/fullcancer immunotherapyregulatory T cellsimmune checkpointsPD-1CTLA-4tumor immune evasion |
| spellingShingle | Neeharika Vatsavai Sumeet Kaur Bhinder Rahaman Shaik Shaheen Mahira Shruti Kapoor Md Shadab Ali Deepak Verma Jay Singh Sreelakshmi Badavenkatappa Gari Prabhat Upadhyay Prabhat Upadhyay Yeva Meshkovska Chandraiah Godugu Sowjanya Thatikonda Venkatesh Pooladanda Venkatesh Pooladanda Advances and challenges in cancer immunotherapy: mechanisms, clinical applications, and future directions Frontiers in Pharmacology cancer immunotherapy regulatory T cells immune checkpoints PD-1 CTLA-4 tumor immune evasion |
| title | Advances and challenges in cancer immunotherapy: mechanisms, clinical applications, and future directions |
| title_full | Advances and challenges in cancer immunotherapy: mechanisms, clinical applications, and future directions |
| title_fullStr | Advances and challenges in cancer immunotherapy: mechanisms, clinical applications, and future directions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Advances and challenges in cancer immunotherapy: mechanisms, clinical applications, and future directions |
| title_short | Advances and challenges in cancer immunotherapy: mechanisms, clinical applications, and future directions |
| title_sort | advances and challenges in cancer immunotherapy mechanisms clinical applications and future directions |
| topic | cancer immunotherapy regulatory T cells immune checkpoints PD-1 CTLA-4 tumor immune evasion |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1602529/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT neeharikavatsavai advancesandchallengesincancerimmunotherapymechanismsclinicalapplicationsandfuturedirections AT sumeetkaurbhinder advancesandchallengesincancerimmunotherapymechanismsclinicalapplicationsandfuturedirections AT rahamanshaik advancesandchallengesincancerimmunotherapymechanismsclinicalapplicationsandfuturedirections AT shaheenmahira advancesandchallengesincancerimmunotherapymechanismsclinicalapplicationsandfuturedirections AT shrutikapoor advancesandchallengesincancerimmunotherapymechanismsclinicalapplicationsandfuturedirections AT mdshadabali advancesandchallengesincancerimmunotherapymechanismsclinicalapplicationsandfuturedirections AT deepakverma advancesandchallengesincancerimmunotherapymechanismsclinicalapplicationsandfuturedirections AT jaysingh advancesandchallengesincancerimmunotherapymechanismsclinicalapplicationsandfuturedirections AT sreelakshmibadavenkatappagari advancesandchallengesincancerimmunotherapymechanismsclinicalapplicationsandfuturedirections AT prabhatupadhyay advancesandchallengesincancerimmunotherapymechanismsclinicalapplicationsandfuturedirections AT prabhatupadhyay advancesandchallengesincancerimmunotherapymechanismsclinicalapplicationsandfuturedirections AT yevameshkovska advancesandchallengesincancerimmunotherapymechanismsclinicalapplicationsandfuturedirections AT chandraiahgodugu advancesandchallengesincancerimmunotherapymechanismsclinicalapplicationsandfuturedirections AT sowjanyathatikonda advancesandchallengesincancerimmunotherapymechanismsclinicalapplicationsandfuturedirections AT venkateshpooladanda advancesandchallengesincancerimmunotherapymechanismsclinicalapplicationsandfuturedirections AT venkateshpooladanda advancesandchallengesincancerimmunotherapymechanismsclinicalapplicationsandfuturedirections |