Interleukin-13 Receptor Alpha 2-Targeted Glioblastoma Immunotherapy

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most lethal primary brain tumor, and despite several refinements in its multimodal management, generally has very poor prognosis. Targeted immunotherapy is an emerging field of research that shows great promise in the treatment of GBM. One of the most extensively studied targets is the interleukin-13 receptor alpha chain variant 2 (IL13R alpha 2). Its selective expression on GBM, discovered almost two decades ago, has been a target for therapy ever since. Immunotherapeutic strategies have been developed targeting IL13R alpha 2, including monoclonal antibodies as well as cell-based strategies such as IL13R alpha 2-pulsed dendritic cells and IL13R alpha 2-targeted chimeric antigen receptor-expressing T cells. Advanced therapeutic development has led to the completion of several clinical trials with promising outcomes. In this review, we will discuss the recent advances in the IL13R alpha 2-targeted immunotherapy and evaluate the most promising strategy for targeted GBM immunotherapy.