Comparative analysis of safety and efficacy profiles of CAR-T and CIK cell therapies

Current standard therapies for B cell malignancies typically involve chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, in the last years, several immunotherapies, in particular adoptive cell therapies (ACT), have emerged as promising alternatives to treat these diseases by exploiting the power of the immune system. One such promising approach is chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy, which involves genetic engineering of T lymphocytes to express chimeric antigen receptors, which target specific antigens on cancer cells, thus enhancing their recognition and cytotoxicity by T cells. Another interesting strategy is represented by cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells, a population of cells expanded and stimulated ex-vivo starting from the patient’s immune cells using cytokines. These cells are then re-targeted by the combination with clinically approved monoclonal antibodies to enhance target elimination. This study aims to compare these two promising ACT approaches, CAR-T cell and CIK cell therapies, both retargeted against CD19 antigen, specifically in the context of B-cell malignancies. In detail, co-culture of target and effector cells, and consequent analysis of released cytokines and cytotoxicity, has been done to assess the safety and effectiveness, respectively. By evaluating safety profiles and therapeutic efficacy, this research highlights advantages and limitations of both cell therapies.