Guest Editors
Gabriela Yamazaki de Campos
Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Pathogenic Bioagents, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of Sao Paulo
Gabriela Yamazaki de Campos is a PhD candidate at the Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (FMRP/USP), Brazil, under the supervision of Dr. Thiago Aparecido da Silva. She received her MSc degree from the same institution in 2020, and her BSc in Biomedical Sciences from Triângulo Mineiro Federal University in 2018. Gabriela is interested in exploring innovative immunotherapy strategies for treating invasive fungal infections. Her current work focuses on developing chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) to enhance T and NK cell activation against various Candida species. Gabriela has expertise in the fields of Cell and Molecular Biology, Immunology, Glycobiology, Mycology, and Cell Therapy.
Thiago Aparecido da Silva
Clinical Hematology Lab, Department of Clinical Analysis, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Araraquara, Sao Paulo State University
Thiago da Silva has expertise in Cell and Molecular Biology, Glycobiology, Immunology, Medical Mycology, and Cell Therapy. His PhD was focused on the immunomodulatory activity via carbohydrate recognition in innate and adaptive immune cells as strategy to fight against intracellular pathogens, and carbohydrate recognition was considered in the induction of apoptosis of cancer cells. His Post-Doctoral at the University of São Paulo evaluated the effect of carbohydrate recognition as adjuvant in the vaccination against cryptococcosis, and he initiated the development of a cell therapy approach using Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) technology to redirect T cells to control the growth of Cryptococcus spp. CAR T cell therapy was developed at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA, after international training as a post-doctoral fellow. This research field is in progress at the São Paulo State University (UNESP) supported by a Young Investigator grant under supervision by Thiago as Assistant Professor.
Collection Overview
T cells engineered with chimeric antigen receptors (CAR-T) have advanced the treatment of hematologic malignancies by redirecting T cells to recognize and eliminate cancerous cells expressing specific antigens. Since the first US FDA approval in 2017, different CAR-T products have been approved, highlighting the remarkable success of this therapy against cancer. CAR-T applications beyond cancer are in progress, and the approaches to CAR-T cell manufacturing should be explored in this research field. Recent studies have introduced advanced methods to engineer CAR-T cells targeting infectious diseases, including fungi such as Cryptococcus spp. and Aspergillus fumigatus, as well as viruses such as HIV, HCV, HBV, and CMV. Additionally, investigations have explored the potential of CAR-T therapy for autoimmune diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus and multiple sclerosis, as well as fibrotic conditions such as cardiac and hepatic fibrosis. In each case, the design of CAR-T cells must be specific to the antigens expressed by the target cells. Moreover, researchers have employed various strategies, including the expression of CARs in regulatory T cells (Tregs), to suppress dysregulated immune responses in autoimmune diseases. This Methods Collection aims to present techniques utilized in CAR-T cell engineering for therapy beyond cancer. These techniques include vector design, gene editing technologies, optimization of T-cell modification, and strategies to evaluate cell activation and cytotoxicity, among others. This collection provides a comprehensive overview of various methodologies that may lead the research community to develop CAR-T cells with enhanced efficacy, specificity, and safety.
