Editorial: Exploring unconventional T cells and CAR-T-cells in cancer immunotherapy

Category	Detail
Condition	Cancer
Key Mechanisms	Exploitation of unconventional T cells (UCTs) and CAR-based cellular therapies.
Target Population	Patients with solid and hematological malignancies.
Care Setting	Clinical oncology and immunotherapy.

UCTs, including γδ T cells, iNKT cells, and MAIT cells, recognize non-peptide antigens and are pivotal in cancer immunotherapy.
γδ T cells exhibit dual roles in tumor progression and immune suppression influenced by the local cytokine environment.
MAIT cells show functional plasticity affected by aging and inflammation, correlating with disease outcomes.
iNKT cells can be engineered for allogeneic CAR therapies, reducing risks associated with traditional CAR-T cell therapies.
Metabolic engineering strategies are being developed to enhance CAR-T cell function in hostile tumor microenvironments.

Utilize single-cell technologies and multi-omic profiling to assess UCT populations.

Consider CAR-T cell therapies incorporating UCTs for enhanced anti-tumor efficacy.

Monitor cytokine profiles and transcriptional changes in UCTs to evaluate therapeutic responses.

Be aware of potential graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and cytokine release syndrome (CRS) in CAR-T therapies.

Patients with various malignancies, including colorectal cancer and hematological cancers.

iNKT cells derived from cord blood show low alloreactive potential and can be used in off-the-shelf therapies.

Integrate metabolic engineering to improve CAR-T cell fitness in challenging tumor microenvironments.
Develop dual-target CAR constructs to enhance therapeutic efficacy against solid tumors.

Clinical Scorecard: Investigating the Role of Unconventional T Cells and CAR-T Cell Therapies in Cancer Immunotherapy