Resumen
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has heralded a new era in cancer treatment, in particular for hematological malignancies. Despite the current progress in CAR T cell research and development, frequent occurrence of exhausted and/or terminally differentiated CAR T cells can lead to poor tumor infiltration, limited persistence, lack of effector functions, and finally tumor immune escape. In fact, key functions and even the differentiation of T cells are tightly interconnected with the cells? bioenergetics. Tumor cells and their microenvironment (TME) in turn can impact T cell metabolism in a variety of ways, including depletion of critical nutrients (e.g., glucose or tryptophan), accumulation of bioactive metabolites (e.g., lactic acid or reactive oxygen species) or via immunological checkpoints. Given this strong link between T cell metabolism and functional features that represent prerequisites for an efficient CAR T cell therapy, it is of great interest to explore metabolic modulation as a mean to improve clinical efficacy and even tolerability.