Aim In this project, we engineered natural killer (NK) cells to express chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) to enhance the natural anti-cancer effects of NK cells with the overall aim to develop off-the-shelf therapy approaches against cervical cancer. 

Genetically engineered CAR-NK cell-based approaches to treat cervical cancer

Simple Summary Appropriate testing models are imperative to facilitate the discovery of effective personalized treatments against different cancers, including advanced cervical cancer. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the currently available three-dimensional (3D) models of cervical cancer and their significance in pre-clinical and clinical studies. The review emphasizes the potential of 3D tumor models, such as spheroids from cervical cancer cell lines and patient-derived organoids, to evaluate novel therapies, particularly immunotherapies that target tumor cells and modulate the tumor microenvironment. Notably, the cervical cancer field is underdeveloped regarding use of 3D tumor models, and there is an increasing need to develop appropriate models to address this clinical burden, which will aid in personalized treatment discovery. Abstract Cervical cancer is one of the most common malignant diseases in women worldwide. Despite the global introduction of a preventive vaccine against the leading cause of cervical cancer, human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, the incidence of this malignant disease is still very high, especially in economically challenged areas. New advances in cancer therapy, especially the rapid development and application of different immunotherapy strategies, have shown promising pre-clinical and clinical results. However, mortality from advanced stages of cervical cancer remains a significant concern. Precise and thorough evaluation of potential novel anti-cancer therapies in pre-clinical phases is indispensable for efficient development of new, more successful treatment options for cancer patients. Recently, 3D tumor models have become the gold standard in pre-clinical cancer research due to their capacity to better mimic the architecture and microenvironment of tumor tissue as compared to standard two-dimensional (2D) cell cultures. This review will focus on the application of spheroids and patient-derived organoids (PDOs) as tumor models to develop novel therapies against cervical cancer, with an emphasis on the immunotherapies that specifically target cancer cells and modulate the tumor microenvironment (TME).

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Tumor Organoid and Spheroid Models for Cervical Cancer

Simple Summary Current treatments for cervical cancer patients include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, which may be combined. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to remove all of the cancer and some cancer cells may be resistant to radio-/chemotherapy. This can result in lack of disease control or cancer relapse after initial response to therapy. Furthermore, metastasis of the tumor cells presents another difficult therapeutic challenge. The advent of novel immunotherapies, including monoclonal antibodies and genetically modified immune cells, that augment anti-cancer activity of immune cells holds great promise to improve cervical cancer patient survival. Abstract Cervical cancer is one of the most common malignancies in women, and the majority of cases are caused by infection with high-risk human papilloma virus (HPV) subtypes. Despite effective preventative measures, such as vaccinations against HPV, over 300,000 women die world-wide from cervical cancer each year. Once cervical cancer is diagnosed, treatment may consist of radial hysterectomy, or chemotherapy and radiotherapy, or a combination of therapies dependent upon the disease stage. Unfortunately, overall prognosis for patients with metastatic or recurrent disease remains poor. In these cases, immunotherapies may be useful based on promising preclinical work, some of which has been successfully translated to the clinic. For example, approaches using monoclonal antibodies directed against surface proteins important for control of immune checkpoints (i.e., immune checkpoint inhibitors) were shown to improve outcome in many cancer settings, including cervical cancer. Additionally, initial clinical studies showed that application of cytotoxic immune cells modified to express chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) or T cell receptors (TCR) for better recognition and elimination of tumor cells may be useful to control cervical cancer. This review explores these important topics, including strengths and limitations of standard and developing approaches, and how some novel treatment strategies may be optimally used to offer the best possible treatment for cervical cancer patients.

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R. Polten

Papers

Genetically engineered CAR-NK cell-based approaches to treat cervical cancer

Tumor Organoid and Spheroid Models for Cervical Cancer

Towards Novel Gene and Cell Therapy Approaches for Cervical Cancer