Precision Oncology at the Intersection of CRISPRCas9 and Tumor Neoantigens

Malignant tumors remain one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Conventional therapies, though effective at killing cancer cells, are accompanied by systemic cytotoxicity. It highlights the priority for precision oncology. Tumor neoantigens represent promising targets for selective immunotherapy, arising from cancer-specific mutations. At the same time, CRISPRCas9 genome editing provides remarkable accuracy in genetic manipulation, opening new avenues for cancer research. This paper reviews the emerging convergence of CRISPRCas9 technology and neoantigen-based interventions. It showcases recent progress in CRISPR-based neoantigen validation and the engineering of immune effector cells, as well as their application in personalized therapies. Additionally, this paper focuses on several important translational challenges that need to be overcome before broad clinical application, including tumor heterogeneity, off-target effects, and clinical safety. By assembling the current evidence and future scenarios in this field, this review aims to highlight that the combination of CRISPR genome editing with neoantigen targets would be a new direction in the field of precision oncology that may shape the future of cancer immunotherapy.