Equipping CTLs with sTRAIL through fusion proteins: a novel approach in cancer therapy?

Conventional cancer therapies are often limited due to toxic side effects and low therapeutic response. Therefore, new therapeutic approaches that focus on selectivity for cancer cells and avoidance of undesired toxic side effects are urgently needed. TRAIL is a promising anti tumour agent, which induces apoptosis selectively in malignant cells. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) are normally responsible for eradicating dysfunctional, damaged or infected cells. They are present in high numbers in the tumour environment but fail to kill cancerous cell. This article proposes to exploit the properties of TRAIL and CTLs in a new therapeutic approach. By fusing TRAIL to CTLs we obtain a lymphocyte equipped with adequate tools for inducing selectively apoptosis in tumour cells. Administration of these CTLs equipped with TRAIL would be realized through adoptive cells transfer. This article addresses several aspects of this potential new therapy: TRAIL characteristics and according fusion protein, positive CTL characteristics, CTL engineering, patient administration, survival promotion of CTLs equipped with sTRAIL and possible interventions in the tumour environment. There are many hurdles to take, that all need intensive research, before this approach could be clinically applied. Even though, CTLs equipped with sTRAIL could prove to be an important novel approach in the search for new anti cancer therapies.