T and NK Cell-Based Immunotherapy in Chronic Viral Hepatitis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

A different approach for T cell-based immunotherapy is illustrated in the commentary by Hafezi et al., where adoptive cell therapy with autologous engineered T cells is considered in case of HBV-related HCC recurrence following liver transplantation. As these patients undergo immunosuppressive treatments that can compromise T cell reactivity, a new class of HBV-specific TCR-redirected T cells can be made temporarily resistant to immunosuppression, thanks to mutations in drug-specific target proteins, thus opening up new ways not only in case of HCC liver transplantation, but also for patients with other pathologies that need immunosuppressant therapies [[9]]. In chronic viral hepatitis and in hepatocarcinoma (HCC), antigen-specific T cells are deeply exhausted, and evidence of dysfunction has also been observed for NK cells, which can play a pathogenetic role, exerting a regulatory activity on adaptive immune responses. [Extracted from the article]