Advancing Immune Cell Engineering: Methods for CAR T Cells and Other Cellular Therapies

TOPICAL COLLECTIONS

Guest Editors

Charlotte Zajc

Medical University of Vienna, Department for Transfusion Medicine and Cell Therapy

Charlotte Zajc heads the research group for preclinical studies on cellular therapies at the Medical University of Vienna, Department of Transfusion Medicine and Cell Therapy. She completed her PhD at the Children's Cancer Research Institute in 2020 and spent six months as a visiting researcher at the Standford School of Medicine. After her postdoctoral studies at the BOKU University in Vienna, she joined the Medical University of Vienna in 2024 as a principal investigator. Her research focuses on CAR T cell engineering, including mechanistic analysis of basic CAR T cell functions and optimization of CAR designs by combining immunological methods with protein engineering.

Maik Luu

University Hospital Würzburg, Medical Clinic and Polyclinic II, Chair for Cellular Immunotherapy

Dr. Maik Luu, PhD, is a tenure-track assistant professor at the University Hospital Würzburg, specialized in investigating the interaction between microbiome-derived metabolites and cellular immunotherapy. He earned his PhD degree in T cell immunology in 2019 from Philipps-University Marburg, focusing on the impact of the microbiome on autoimmunity and inflammation. During his postdoc, Dr. Luu has investigated mechanisms of mucosal homeostasis and strategies to improve T cell-mediated cancer immunotherapy. His lab primarily focuses on synergizing microbial postbiotics and CAR T cell engineering to improve cellular therapy for malignant and non-malignant diseases. Dr. Luu has published extensively in leading journals and has received several honor,s such as the EBMT/EHA Emerging Investigator Award and the Bright Spark Research Award by the American Association of Immunology. Dr. Luu is an appointed member of the Young Academy at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and scientific project manager of the EU IMI consortium T2EVOLVE.

Collection Overview

The emergence of engineered cellular therapies has transformed cancer treatment, particularly with the success of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies in hematologic cancers. The field is rapidly evolving, leading to the development of more advanced combinatorial therapies designed to address both hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. Current research focuses on enhancing the safety, specificity, and persistence of engineered immune cells to further advance these therapies.

In addition to CAR T cell therapies, other cell-based or cell-targeting treatments, such as T cell receptor (TCR)-based therapies, antibody therapies, and immune checkpoint blockade, are being integrated into the wider landscape of cellular immunotherapy. This integration provides complementary and synergistic strategies for targeting cancer.

This Method Collection highlights cutting-edge techniques, protocols, and strategies for developing, modifying, and evaluating cellular immunotherapies. It aims to serve as a comprehensive resource for researchers engaged in the genetic engineering of immune cells, the generation and optimization of CAR designs, manufacturing processes, functional assays, T cell isolation and culture, as well as in vitro cultures.

Furthermore, the collection will explore combinatorial approaches that enhance therapeutic outcomes, including the combination of CAR T cells with immune checkpoint inhibitors, bispecific T cell engagers or antibodies, and emerging technologies such as CRISPR-based screening and gene editing, protein engineering, and synthetic biology.