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http://dx.doi.org/10.5483/BMBRep.2021.54.1.257

Cancer immunotherapy with T-cell targeting cytokines: IL-2 and IL-7  

Kim, Ji-Hae (Department of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH))
Lee, Kun-Joo (Division of Integrative Biosciences and Biotechnology, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH))
Lee, Seung-Woo (Department of Life Sciences, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH))
Publication Information
BMB Reports / v.54, no.1, 2021 , pp. 21-30 More about this Journal
Abstract
Clinical trials have demonstrated that an increased number of effector cells, especially tumor-specific T cells, is positively linked with patients' prognosis. Although the discovery of checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) has led to encouraging progress in cancer immunotherapy, the lack of either T cells or targets for CPIs is a limitation for patients with poor prognosis. Since interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-7 are cytokines that target many aspects of T-cell responses, they have been used to treat cancers. In this review, we focus on the basic biology of how these cytokines regulate T-cell response and on the clinical trials using the cytokines against cancer. Further, we introduce several recent studies that aim to improve cytokines' biological activities and find the strategy for combination with other therapeutics.
Keywords
Cancer immunotherapy; Cytokine; IL-2; IL-7; T cells;
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