Next generation immunotherapy: enhancing stemness of polyclonal T cells to improve anti-tumor activity

The administration of T cells as cellular therapy against advanced cancers has brought clinical benefit to many patients and has progressed the field of cancer research. However, current cell therapy treatments are not curative in most patients, particularly in those with solid tumors, and it remains to be seen how broadly and efficaciously they may be applied going forward. Recent research has begun to elucidate key factors that regulate the efficacy of cell therapy in cancer patients, including T cell stemness and the ability to effectively target tumor antigens and overcome tumor heterogeneity. In this review, we discuss key properties of clinically effective anti-cancer T cell therapies along with strategies to improve T cell characteristics to augment clinical efficacy in solid tumors.