Small Molecule Targeting Immune Cells: A Novel Approach for Cancer Treatment
Conventional and cancer immunotherapies encompass diverse strategies to address various cancer types and stages. However, combining these approaches often encounters limitations such as non-specific targeting, resistance development, and high toxicity, leading to suboptimal outcomes in many cancers....
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Biomedicines |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/11/10/2621 |
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| author | Shilpi Singh Debashis Barik Ananta Prasad Arukha Sujata Prasad Iteeshree Mohapatra Amar Singh Gatikrushna Singh |
| author_facet | Shilpi Singh Debashis Barik Ananta Prasad Arukha Sujata Prasad Iteeshree Mohapatra Amar Singh Gatikrushna Singh |
| author_sort | Shilpi Singh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Conventional and cancer immunotherapies encompass diverse strategies to address various cancer types and stages. However, combining these approaches often encounters limitations such as non-specific targeting, resistance development, and high toxicity, leading to suboptimal outcomes in many cancers. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is orchestrated by intricate interactions between immune and non-immune cells dictating tumor progression. An innovative avenue in cancer therapy involves leveraging small molecules to influence a spectrum of resistant cell populations within the TME. Recent discoveries have unveiled a phenotypically diverse cohort of innate-like T (ILT) cells and tumor hybrid cells (HCs) exhibiting novel characteristics, including augmented proliferation, migration, resistance to exhaustion, evasion of immunosurveillance, reduced apoptosis, drug resistance, and heightened metastasis frequency. Leveraging small-molecule immunomodulators to target these immune players presents an exciting frontier in developing novel tumor immunotherapies. Moreover, combining small molecule modulators with immunotherapy can synergistically enhance the inhibitory impact on tumor progression by empowering the immune system to meticulously fine-tune responses within the TME, bolstering its capacity to recognize and eliminate cancer cells. This review outlines strategies involving small molecules that modify immune cells within the TME, potentially revolutionizing therapeutic interventions and enhancing the anti-tumor response. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:25:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9fc678266de24a828ca4f13cafd80f5f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9059 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:25:40Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biomedicines |
| spelling | doaj.art-9fc678266de24a828ca4f13cafd80f5f2023-11-19T15:44:41ZengMDPI AGBiomedicines2227-90592023-09-011110262110.3390/biomedicines11102621Small Molecule Targeting Immune Cells: A Novel Approach for Cancer TreatmentShilpi Singh0Debashis Barik1Ananta Prasad Arukha2Sujata Prasad3Iteeshree Mohapatra4Amar Singh5Gatikrushna Singh6Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USACenter for Computational Natural Science and Bioinformatics, International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad 500032, Telangana, IndiaDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USAMLM Medical Labs, LLC, Oakdale, MN 55128, USADepartment of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota—Twin Cities, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USASchulze Diabetes Institute, Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USADepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USAConventional and cancer immunotherapies encompass diverse strategies to address various cancer types and stages. However, combining these approaches often encounters limitations such as non-specific targeting, resistance development, and high toxicity, leading to suboptimal outcomes in many cancers. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is orchestrated by intricate interactions between immune and non-immune cells dictating tumor progression. An innovative avenue in cancer therapy involves leveraging small molecules to influence a spectrum of resistant cell populations within the TME. Recent discoveries have unveiled a phenotypically diverse cohort of innate-like T (ILT) cells and tumor hybrid cells (HCs) exhibiting novel characteristics, including augmented proliferation, migration, resistance to exhaustion, evasion of immunosurveillance, reduced apoptosis, drug resistance, and heightened metastasis frequency. Leveraging small-molecule immunomodulators to target these immune players presents an exciting frontier in developing novel tumor immunotherapies. Moreover, combining small molecule modulators with immunotherapy can synergistically enhance the inhibitory impact on tumor progression by empowering the immune system to meticulously fine-tune responses within the TME, bolstering its capacity to recognize and eliminate cancer cells. This review outlines strategies involving small molecules that modify immune cells within the TME, potentially revolutionizing therapeutic interventions and enhancing the anti-tumor response.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/11/10/2621immunotherapytumor microenvironmentinnate-like cellskiller innate-like T cellshybrid cellstissue-resident memory T cells |
| spellingShingle | Shilpi Singh Debashis Barik Ananta Prasad Arukha Sujata Prasad Iteeshree Mohapatra Amar Singh Gatikrushna Singh Small Molecule Targeting Immune Cells: A Novel Approach for Cancer Treatment Biomedicines immunotherapy tumor microenvironment innate-like cells killer innate-like T cells hybrid cells tissue-resident memory T cells |
| title | Small Molecule Targeting Immune Cells: A Novel Approach for Cancer Treatment |
| title_full | Small Molecule Targeting Immune Cells: A Novel Approach for Cancer Treatment |
| title_fullStr | Small Molecule Targeting Immune Cells: A Novel Approach for Cancer Treatment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Small Molecule Targeting Immune Cells: A Novel Approach for Cancer Treatment |
| title_short | Small Molecule Targeting Immune Cells: A Novel Approach for Cancer Treatment |
| title_sort | small molecule targeting immune cells a novel approach for cancer treatment |
| topic | immunotherapy tumor microenvironment innate-like cells killer innate-like T cells hybrid cells tissue-resident memory T cells |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/11/10/2621 |
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