Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphoid cells that have a significant role in regulating the defenses against cancer development and certain viral infections. They are equipped with an array of activating and inhibitory receptors that stimulate or diminish NK cell activity, respectively. Inhibitory receptors include, among others, the MHC class I ligands killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) in humans, and members of the Ly49 family of receptors in mice, and CD94/NKG2A. Activating receptors include cytokine and chemokine receptors, and those that interact with ligands expressed on target cells, such as the natural cytotoxicity receptors or NCRs (NKp30, NKp44 and NKp46), NKG2D, CD244 and DNAM-1. In addition, NK cells express Fc?RIIIA or CD16, the receptor that exerts antibody-dependent cell mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). NK cells also express the death ligands FasL and TRAIL. The killing or sparing of target cells depends on the integration of distinct signals that originate from NK cell receptors. NK cells spare healthy cells that express normal levels of MHC class I molecules and low amounts of stress-induced self-molecules, whereas they kill target cells that down-regulate MHC class I molecules and/or up-regulate stress-induced self-molecules. The latter are common signatures of virus-infected cells and tumors. All the accumulated knowledge on NK cell biology, along with many clinical observations, is driving multiple efforts to improve the arsenal of NK cell-based therapeutic tools in the fight against malignant diseases. Indeed, NK cell-based immunotherapy is becoming a promising approach for the treatment of many cancers. It is well known that NK cells have a significant role in the anti-tumor effect of therapeutic antibodies that use ADCC as a mechanism of action. In addition to this, administration of autologous and allogeneic NK cells after activation and expansion ex vivo is used in the treatment of cancer. Moreover, adoptive transfer of NK cell lines has been tested in humans, and genetically modified NK cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors are being studied in preclinical models for potential use in the clinic.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide and a leading cause of death. In the past decade, innovation in surgical treatment for colorectal cancer, including robotic platforms, and advances in targeted therapy, immunotherapy, cell-directed therapy, and combination therapy have significantly improved survival rates in patients with colorectal cancer. This book presents updated information on the diagnosis, screening, and treatment and management of colorectal cancer for treating physicians and patients alike.

The development, clinical translation and recent efficacy of novel gene therapies targeting refractory malignancies has led to research that extends this technology to a variety of infectious and rheumatological diseases. Unlike conventional drugs or antibodies, T cells have the potential to target and exert effector function in response to disease in a dynamic manner, acting as a “living drug”. The most efficacious form of gene-modified T cells to date is the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cell, which redirects the specificity of T cells to an antigen expressed by tumor cells. Clinical experience with autologous CAR-T cells, primarily in hematologic malignancies, has underscored the feasibility and safety of the approach, while also demonstrating dramatic and sustained antitumor effects through mechanisms orthogonal to those of traditional anticancer therapies. However, several challenging obstacles must be surmounted in order to improve the broader efficacy of this approach.

Although cancer vaccines have yielded promising results both in vitro and in animal models, their translation into clinical application has not been very successful so far. Through the success of immune checkpoint inhibitors, the tumor immunotherapy field revived and led to important new insights. A better understanding of the functional capacity of different dendritic cell (DC) subsets and the immunogenicity of tumor antigens, more particularly of neoantigens, have important implications for the improvement of cancer vaccines. These insights can guide the development of novel strategies, to enhance the clinical utility of cancer vaccines. The aim of this Research Topic is therefore to provide a comprehensive overview of current issues regarding cancer vaccine development with an emphasis on novel approaches toward enhancing their efficacy.

In this Research Topic, we would like to honor the memory of Prof. Vito Pistoia and pay tribute to his scientific contributions to the field of Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy. Topic Editor Daniel Olive is the co-founder and shareholder of company Imcheck Therapeutics. All other topic editors declare no competing interests with regards to the Research Topic subject.

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