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Baharom F, Hermans D, Delamarre L, Seder RA. Vax-Innate: improving therapeutic cancer vaccines by modulating T cells and the tumour microenvironment. Nat Rev Immunol 2024:10.1038/s41577-024-01091-9. [PMID: 39433884 DOI: 10.1038/s41577-024-01091-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/02/2024] [Indexed: 10/23/2024]
Abstract
T cells have a critical role in mediating antitumour immunity. The success of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for cancer treatment highlights how enhancing endogenous T cell responses can mediate tumour regression. However, mortality remains high for many cancers, especially in the metastatic setting. Based on advances in the genetic characterization of tumours and identification of tumour-specific antigens, individualized therapeutic cancer vaccines targeting mutated tumour antigens (neoantigens) are being developed to generate tumour-specific T cells for improved therapeutic responses. Early clinical trials using individualized neoantigen vaccines for patients with advanced disease had limited clinical efficacy despite demonstrated induction of T cell responses. Therefore, enhancing T cell activity by improving the magnitude, quality and breadth of T cell responses following vaccination is one current goal for improving outcome against metastatic tumours. Another major consideration is how T cells can be further optimized to function within the tumour microenvironment (TME). In this Perspective, we focus on neoantigen vaccines and propose a new approach, termed Vax-Innate, in which vaccination through intravenous delivery or in combination with tumour-targeting immune modulators may improve antitumour efficacy by simultaneously increasing the magnitude, quality and breadth of T cells while transforming the TME into a largely immunostimulatory environment for T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dalton Hermans
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Robert A Seder
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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2
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Pounraj S, Chen S, Ma L, Mazzieri R, Dolcetti R, Rehm BHA. Targeting Tumor Heterogeneity with Neoantigen-Based Cancer Vaccines. Cancer Res 2024; 84:353-363. [PMID: 38055891 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-2042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Neoantigen-based cancer vaccines have emerged as a promising immunotherapeutic approach to treat cancer. Nevertheless, the high degree of heterogeneity in tumors poses a significant hurdle for developing a vaccine that targets the therapeutically relevant neoantigens capable of effectively stimulating an immune response as each tumor contains numerous unique putative neoantigens. Understanding the complexities of tumor heterogeneity is crucial for the development of personalized neoantigen-based vaccines, which hold the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment and improve patient outcomes. In this review, we discuss recent advancements in the design of neoantigen-based cancer vaccines emphasizing the identification, validation, formulation, and targeting of neoantigens while addressing the challenges posed by tumor heterogeneity. The review highlights the application of cutting-edge approaches, such as single-cell sequencing and artificial intelligence to identify immunogenic neoantigens, while outlining current limitations and proposing future research directions to develop effective neoantigen-based vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saranya Pounraj
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers (CCFB), Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University (Nathan Campus), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Shuxiong Chen
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers (CCFB), Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University (Nathan Campus), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Linlin Ma
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers (CCFB), Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University (Nathan Campus), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- School of Environment and Science, Griffith University (Nathan Campus), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Roberta Mazzieri
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Riccardo Dolcetti
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Bernd H A Rehm
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers (CCFB), Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University (Nathan Campus), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland (MHIQ), Griffith University (Gold Coast Campus), Queensland, Australia
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Massa C, Seliger B. Combination of multiple omics techniques for a personalized therapy or treatment selection. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1258013. [PMID: 37828984 PMCID: PMC10565668 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1258013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite targeted therapies and immunotherapies have revolutionized the treatment of cancer patients, only a limited number of patients have long-term responses. Moreover, due to differences within cancer patients in the tumor mutational burden, composition of the tumor microenvironment as well as of the peripheral immune system and microbiome, and in the development of immune escape mechanisms, there is no "one fit all" therapy. Thus, the treatment of patients must be personalized based on the specific molecular, immunologic and/or metabolic landscape of their tumor. In order to identify for each patient the best possible therapy, different approaches should be employed and combined. These include (i) the use of predictive biomarkers identified on large cohorts of patients with the same tumor type and (ii) the evaluation of the individual tumor with "omics"-based analyses as well as its ex vivo characterization for susceptibility to different therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Massa
- Institute for Translational Immunology, Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane, Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany
| | - Barbara Seliger
- Institute for Translational Immunology, Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane, Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Leipzig, Germany
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4
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Dolina JS, Lee J, Brightman SE, McArdle S, Hall SM, Thota RR, Zavala KS, Lanka M, Ramamoorthy Premlal AL, Greenbaum JA, Cohen EEW, Peters B, Schoenberger SP. Linked CD4+/CD8+ T cell neoantigen vaccination overcomes immune checkpoint blockade resistance and enables tumor regression. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e164258. [PMID: 37655661 PMCID: PMC10471175 DOI: 10.1172/jci164258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic benefit to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) is currently limited to the subset of cancers thought to possess a sufficient tumor mutational burden (TMB) to allow for the spontaneous recognition of neoantigens (NeoAg) by autologous T cells. We explored whether the response to ICB of an aggressive low-TMB squamous cell tumor could be improved through combination immunotherapy using functionally defined NeoAg as targets for endogenous CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. We found that, whereas vaccination with CD4+ or CD8+ NeoAg alone did not offer prophylactic or therapeutic immunity, vaccines containing NeoAg recognized by both subsets overcame ICB resistance and led to the eradication of large established tumors that contained a subset of PD-L1+ tumor-initiating cancer stem cells (tCSC), provided the relevant epitopes were physically linked. Therapeutic CD4+/CD8+ T cell NeoAg vaccination produced a modified tumor microenvironment (TME) with increased numbers of NeoAg-specific CD8+ T cells existing in progenitor and intermediate exhausted states enabled by combination ICB-mediated intermolecular epitope spreading. We believe that the concepts explored herein should be exploited for the development of more potent personalized cancer vaccines that can expand the range of tumors treatable with ICB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph S. Dolina
- Division of Developmental Immunology, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
- Cancer Immunology Discovery, Pfizer, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Joey Lee
- Division of Developmental Immunology, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Spencer E. Brightman
- Division of Developmental Immunology, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
| | | | - Samantha M. Hall
- Division of Developmental Immunology, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Rukman R. Thota
- Division of Developmental Immunology, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Karla S. Zavala
- Division of Developmental Immunology, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Manasa Lanka
- Division of Vaccine Discovery, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
| | | | - Jason A. Greenbaum
- Bioinformatics Core, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Ezra E. W. Cohen
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of California San Diego Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Bjoern Peters
- Division of Vaccine Discovery, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Stephen P. Schoenberger
- Division of Developmental Immunology, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of California San Diego Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, California, USA
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5
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Zhang M, Xu Y, Zhang Y, Lou G. E2F8 knockdown suppresses cell proliferation and induces cell cycle arrest via Wnt/β-Catenin pathway in ovarian cancer. CHINESE J PHYSIOL 2023; 66:266-275. [PMID: 37635486 DOI: 10.4103/cjop.cjop-d-22-00142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Ovarian cancer is one of the leading causes of death in female reproductive system cancers. However, the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer remains elusive. Our aim is to investigate the potential targets for ovarian cancer. Two microarray datasets were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus public database. Using R package limma, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified from the datasets. There were 95 overlapping DEGs in two microarray datasets. GO, KEGG pathway analysis, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis were carried out based on the DEGs. Wnt signaling pathway and cell cycle were enriched in the KEGG pathway analysis. Moreover, the top 10 hub genes with the most nodes were determined by PPI network analysis. E2F8, one of hub genes was positively linked to a bad outcome in ovarian cancer patients. Furthermore, E2F8 knockdown suppressed cell proliferation and induced cell cycle arrest in ovarian cancer. In addition, we found that silencing E2F8 inhibited the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. In ovarian cancer cells with E2F8 knockdown, overexpressing β-catenin restored both the suppressed capacity of cell proliferation and cell cycle progression. Therefore, our results revealed that E2F8 had an involvement in the development of ovarian cancer which might act as a therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meiyin Zhang
- Department of Gynecology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Ye Xu
- Department of Gynecology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Yongjian Zhang
- Department of Gynecology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Ge Lou
- Department of Gynecology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
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Dolina JS, Lee J, Brightman SE, McArdle S, Hall SM, Thota RR, Lanka M, Premlal ALR, Greenbaum JA, Cohen EEW, Peters B, Schoenberger SP. Linked CD4 + /CD8 + T cell neoantigen vaccination overcomes immune checkpoint blockade resistance and enables tumor regression. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.06.539290. [PMID: 37205330 PMCID: PMC10187312 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.06.539290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Therapeutic benefit to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) is currently limited to the subset of cancers thought to possess a sufficient tumor mutational burden (TMB) to allow for the spontaneous recognition of neoantigens (NeoAg) by autologous T cells. We explored whether the response of an aggressive low TMB squamous cell tumor to ICB could be improved through combination immunotherapy using functionally defined NeoAg as targets for endogenous CD4 + and CD8 + T cells. We found that, whereas vaccination with CD4 + or CD8 + NeoAg alone did not offer prophylactic or therapeutic immunity, vaccines containing NeoAg recognized by both subsets overcame ICB resistance and led to the eradication of large established tumors that contained a subset of PD-L1 + tumor-initiating cancer stem cells (tCSC), provided the relevant epitopes were physically linked. Therapeutic CD4 + /CD8 + T cell NeoAg vaccination produced a modified tumor microenvironment (TME) with increased numbers of NeoAg-specific CD8 + T cells existing in progenitor and intermediate exhausted states enabled by combination ICB-mediated intermolecular epitope spreading. The concepts explored herein should be exploited for the development of more potent personalized cancer vaccines that can expand the range of tumors treatable with ICB.
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Wang H, Zhang L, Liu B, Su J, Ni X. Role of CCT4/ErbB signaling in nephroblastoma: Implications for a biomarker of Wilms tumor. Medicine (Baltimore) 2023; 102:e33219. [PMID: 37058032 PMCID: PMC10101284 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000033219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Wilms tumor is a common abdominal malignant tumor in children. However, the molecular mechanism of Wilms tumor is unclear. GSE66405 and GSE197047 were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. To identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in Wilms tumor, the R package "limma" was used. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis was performed to identify the significant module. The list of DEGs was input into the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes database to construct a protein-protein interaction network for predicting core genes. Gene Ontology analysis and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis are computational methods for assessing gene function and biological pathways. The genome was analyzed by Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and developed by gene set enrichment analysis. Comparative Toxicogenomics Database analysis was performed to find the diseases most related to the core genes. TargetScan was used to screen for miRNAs that regulate hub genes. A total of 925 DEGs were identified. The differently expressed genes were mainly enriched in the metabolic pathway, AMPK signaling pathway, ErbB signaling pathway, mRNA detection pathway, and folded protein binding. A total of 16 core genes (HNRNPK, PABPC1, HNRNPD, NCL, YBX1, EIF4G1, KHDRBS1, HNRNPAB, HSPA4, EEF2, HSP90AA1, EEF1A1, A TP5A1, SDHA, CCT4, CCT5) were obtained. chaperonin containing TCP-1 subunit 4 (CCT4) was downregulated in tumor tissue samples, which may have reverse regulatory significance for Wilms tumor. CCT4, HSP90AA1, NCL, PABPC1, and YBX1 were found to be associated with kidney disease, acute kidney injury, edema, tumor metastasis, transitional cell carcinoma, necrosis, and inflammation. The research found that the related miRNA of the CCT4 gene was hsamiR-7-5p. CCT4 might play an essential role in the occurrence and development of Wilms tumor, and they may participate in the occurrence and development of Wilms tumor through the ERBB signal pathway. CCT4 may be a promising biomarker of Wilms tumor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoyuan Wang
- Department of Urology Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, PR China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Department of Urology Surgery, Fuxing Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University, Xicheng District, Beijing, PR China
| | - Bin Liu
- Department of Urology Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, PR China
| | - Jianzhi Su
- Department of Urology Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, PR China
| | - Xiaochen Ni
- Department of Urology Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, PR China
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Chen P, Chen D, Bu D, Gao J, Qin W, Deng K, Ren L, She S, Xu W, Yang Y, Xie X, Liao W, Chen H. Dominant neoantigen verification in hepatocellular carcinoma by a single-plasmid system coexpressing patient HLA and antigen. J Immunother Cancer 2023; 11:jitc-2022-006334. [PMID: 37076248 PMCID: PMC10124323 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2022-006334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/26/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous studies confirmed that most neoantigens predicted by algorithms do not work in clinical practice, and experimental validations remain indispensable for confirming immunogenic neoantigens. In this study, we identified the potential neoantigens with tetramer staining, and established the Co-HA system, a single-plasmid system coexpressing patient human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and antigen, to detect the immunogenicity of neoantigens and verify new dominant hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) neoantigens. METHODS First, we enrolled 14 patients with HCC for next-generation sequencing for variation calling and predicting potential neoantigens. Then, the Co-HA system was established. To test the feasibility of the system, we constructed target cells coexpressing HLA-A*11:01 and the reported KRAS G12D neoantigen as well as specific T-cell receptor (TCR)-T cells. The specific cytotoxicity generated by this neoantigen was shown using the Co-HA system. Moreover, potential HCC-dominant neoantigens were screened out by tetramer staining and validated by the Co-HA system using methods including flow cytometry, enzyme-linked immunospot assay and ELISA. Finally, antitumor test in mouse mode and TCR sequencing were performed to further evaluate the dominant neoantigen. RESULTS First, 2875 somatic mutations in 14 patients with HCC were identified. The main base substitutions were C>T/G>A transitions, and the main mutational signatures were 4, 1 and 16. The high-frequency mutated genes included HMCN1, TTN and TP53. Then, 541 potential neoantigens were predicted. Importantly, 19 of the 23 potential neoantigens in tumor tissues also existed in portal vein tumor thrombi. Moreover, 37 predicted neoantigens restricted by HLA-A*11:01, HLA-A*24:02 or HLA-A*02:01 were performed by tetramer staining to screen out potential HCC-dominant neoantigens. HLA-A*24:02-restricted epitope 5'-FYAFSCYYDL-3' and HLA-A*02:01-restricted epitope 5'-WVWCMSPTI-3' demonstrated strong immunogenicity in HCC, as verified by the Co-HA system. Finally, the antitumor efficacy of 5'-FYAFSCYYDL-3'-specific T cells was verified in the B-NDG-B2mtm1Fcrntm1(mB2m) mouse and their specific TCRs were successfully identified. CONCLUSION We found the dominant neoantigens with high immunogenicity in HCC, which were verified with the Co-HA system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pu Chen
- Peking University Hepatology Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hepatitis C and Immunotherapy for Liver Disease, Beijing International Cooperation Base for Science and Technology on NAFLD Diagnosis, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Dongbo Chen
- Peking University Hepatology Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hepatitis C and Immunotherapy for Liver Disease, Beijing International Cooperation Base for Science and Technology on NAFLD Diagnosis, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Dechao Bu
- Research Center for Ubiquitous Computing Systems, Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Gao
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Wanying Qin
- Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Guilin Medical University Affiliated Hospital, Guilin, Guangxi, China
| | - Kangjian Deng
- Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Guilin Medical University Affiliated Hospital, Guilin, Guangxi, China
| | - Liying Ren
- Peking University Hepatology Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hepatitis C and Immunotherapy for Liver Disease, Beijing International Cooperation Base for Science and Technology on NAFLD Diagnosis, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Shaoping She
- Peking University Hepatology Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hepatitis C and Immunotherapy for Liver Disease, Beijing International Cooperation Base for Science and Technology on NAFLD Diagnosis, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Wentao Xu
- Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Guilin Medical University Affiliated Hospital, Guilin, Guangxi, China
| | - Yao Yang
- Peking University Hepatology Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hepatitis C and Immunotherapy for Liver Disease, Beijing International Cooperation Base for Science and Technology on NAFLD Diagnosis, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xingwang Xie
- Peking University Hepatology Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hepatitis C and Immunotherapy for Liver Disease, Beijing International Cooperation Base for Science and Technology on NAFLD Diagnosis, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
- Corregene Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Beijing, China
| | - Weijia Liao
- Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Guilin Medical University Affiliated Hospital, Guilin, Guangxi, China
| | - Hongsong Chen
- Peking University Hepatology Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hepatitis C and Immunotherapy for Liver Disease, Beijing International Cooperation Base for Science and Technology on NAFLD Diagnosis, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
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Zeng C, Zhou Y, Ye W, Fang Z, Wang K. Exploration and validation of hub genes in lung adenocarcinoma based on bioinformatics analysis. Transl Cancer Res 2022; 11:3814-3826. [PMID: 36388051 PMCID: PMC9641136 DOI: 10.21037/tcr-22-2225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genomic abnormality is a crucial factor for lung cancer development. This study used bioinformatics analysis to explore the hub genes involved in lung adenocarcinoma. METHODS The GeneCards, Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD), and DISEASES databases were used to screen the genes associated with lung adenocarcinoma. The hub genes were then identified using WebGestalt. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), UALCAN, and the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) were used to validate the expression of hub genes. The predictive effects of hub genes on the risk of lung adenocarcinoma were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The Tumor-Immune System Interaction Database (TISIDB) was used to estimate the correlation between hub genes and immune infiltration. RESULTS A total of 21 genes were defined as common genes associated with lung adenocarcinoma, and from these, AKT1, CD44, and CDKN2A were identified as hub genes. Significant differences in the hub gene mRNA and protein expression were observed between lung adenocarcinoma samples and normal samples derived from the TCGA and UALCAN databases. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for AKT1, CD44, and CDKN2A in predicting lung adenocarcinoma risk was 0.847, 0.880, and 0.805, respectively, with sensitivity of 89.8%, 93.2%, and 94.9%, respectively. TISIDB analysis indicated that AKT1, CD44, and CDKN2A expression had a strong relationship with immune infiltration in lung adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSIONS These hub genes, AKT1, CD44, and CDKN2A, may represent tumor biomarkers that may contribute to the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of lung adenocarcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changyi Zeng
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Medical College, Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang, China;,Research Centre for Evidence-Based and Translational Medicine, Xiangyang Central Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang, China
| | - You Zhou
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Medical College, Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang, China
| | - Wanqing Ye
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Medical College, Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang, China
| | - Zihan Fang
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Medical College, Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang, China
| | - Ke Wang
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Medical College, Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang, China;,Research Centre for Evidence-Based and Translational Medicine, Xiangyang Central Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang, China
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10
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Shen Y, Yu L, Xu X, Yu S, Yu Z. Neoantigen vaccine and neoantigen-specific cell adoptive transfer therapy in solid tumors: Challenges and future directions. CANCER INNOVATION 2022; 1:168-182. [PMID: 38090649 PMCID: PMC10686129 DOI: 10.1002/cai2.26] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
The phenomenon of tumor hierarchy and genetic instability can be explained by the "two-hits theory" and results in the occurrence of many somatic mutations. The expression of nonsynonymous mutations results in the production of mutant proteins from tumor cells, namely tumor-specific antigens called neoantigens. Because neoantigens do not exist in healthy cells, they have the potential to stimulate antitumor immune responses by CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell activation without jeopardizing normal tissues. Immunotherapy has reshaped the cancer treatment paradigm in recent decades with the introduction of immune-checkpoint blockade therapy and transgenic T-cell receptor/chimeric antigen receptor T cells. However, these strategies performed poorly in solid tumors because of the obstacles of the immunosuppressive microenvironment caused by regulatory T cells and other suppressor cells. Therefore, other immunotherapeutic strategies are under development, such as personalized vaccines, to trigger de novo T-cell responses against neoantigens and lead to the amplification of tumor-specific T-cell subclones. Neoantigen epitope prediction algorithms have enabled the detection of neoantigens and the creation of tailored neoantigen vaccines as a result of the fast development of next-generation sequencing and cancer bioinformatics. Here we provide an overview of the current neoantigen cancer vaccines and adoptive T-cell transfer therapy with neoantigen-specific lymphocytes. We also discuss the challenges in developing neoantigen-targeted immunotherapeutic strategies for cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanwei Shen
- Shanghai Jianshan Medical Tech Co LtdShanghaiChina
| | - Lu Yu
- Shanghai Jianshan Medical Tech Co LtdShanghaiChina
| | - Xiaoli Xu
- Shanghai Jianshan Medical Tech Co LtdShanghaiChina
| | - Shaojun Yu
- Department of Surgery, The Second Affiliated HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouChina
| | - Zhuo Yu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical MedicineTsinghua UniversityBeijingChina
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11
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Böldicke T. Therapeutic Potential of Intrabodies for Cancer Immunotherapy: Current Status and Future Directions. Antibodies (Basel) 2022; 11:antib11030049. [PMID: 35892709 PMCID: PMC9326752 DOI: 10.3390/antib11030049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor cells are characterized by overexpressed tumor-associated antigens or mutated neoantigens, which are expressed on the cell surface or intracellularly. One strategy of cancer immunotherapy is to target cell-surface-expressed tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) with therapeutic antibodies. For targeting TAAs or neoantigens, adoptive T-cell therapies with activated autologous T cells from cancer patients transduced with novel recombinant TCRs or chimeric antigen receptors have been successfully applied. Many TAAs and most neoantigens are expressed in the cytoplasm or nucleus of tumor cells. As alternative to adoptive T-cell therapy, the mRNA of intracellular tumor antigens can be depleted by RNAi, the corresponding genes or proteins deleted by CRISPR-Cas or inactivated by kinase inhibitors or by intrabodies, respectively. Intrabodies are suitable to knockdown TAAs and neoantigens without off-target effects. RNA sequencing and proteome analysis of single tumor cells combined with computational methods is bringing forward the identification of new neoantigens for the selection of anti-cancer intrabodies, which can be easily performed using phage display antibody repertoires. For specifically delivering intrabodies into tumor cells, the usage of new capsid-modified adeno-associated viruses and lipid nanoparticles coupled with specific ligands to cell surface receptors can be used and might bring cancer intrabodies into the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Böldicke
- Department Structure and Function of Proteins, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany
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12
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Brown CE, Bucktrout S, Butterfield LH, Futer O, Galanis E, Hormigo A, Lim M, Okada H, Prins R, Marr SS, Tanner K. The future of cancer immunotherapy for brain tumors: a collaborative workshop. J Transl Med 2022; 20:236. [PMID: 35606815 PMCID: PMC9125824 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-022-03438-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Harnessing the effector mechanisms of the immune system to combat brain tumors with antigen specificity and memory has been in research and clinical testing for many years. Government grant mechanisms and non-profit organizations have supported many innovative projects and trials while biotech companies have invested in the development of needed tools, assays and novel clinical approaches. The National Brain Tumor Society and the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy partnered to host a workshop to share recent data, ideas and identify both hurdles and new opportunities for harnessing immunotherapy against pediatric and adult brain tumors. Adoptively transferred cell therapies have recently shown promising early clinical results. Local cell delivery to the brain, new antigen targets and innovative engineering approaches are poised for testing in a new generation of clinical trials. Although several such advances have been made, several obstacles remain for the successful application of immunotherapies for brain tumors, including the need for more representative animal models that can better foreshadow human trial outcomes. Tumor and tumor microenvironment biopsies with multiomic analysis are critical to understand mechanisms of response and patient stratification, yet brain tumors are especially challenging for such biopsy collection. These workshop proceedings and commentary shed light on the status of immunotherapy in pediatric and adult brain tumor patients, including current research as well as opportunities for improving future efforts to bring immunotherapy to the forefront in the management of brain tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Samantha Bucktrout
- Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, 1 Letterman Dr. D3500, San Francisco, CA, 94129, USA
| | - Lisa H Butterfield
- Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, 1 Letterman Dr. D3500, San Francisco, CA, 94129, USA.
| | - Olga Futer
- National Brain Tumor Society, Newton, MA, 02458, USA
| | | | - Adilia Hormigo
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, The Tisch Cancer Institute, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Michael Lim
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Hideho Okada
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Robert Prins
- Department of Neurosurgery and Molecular & Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Sara Siebel Marr
- Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, 1 Letterman Dr. D3500, San Francisco, CA, 94129, USA.,Centivax, Inc, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Kirk Tanner
- National Brain Tumor Society, Newton, MA, 02458, USA.
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Understanding of Immune Escape Mechanisms and Advances in Cancer Immunotherapy. JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2022; 2022:8901326. [PMID: 35401745 PMCID: PMC8989557 DOI: 10.1155/2022/8901326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Tumor immune escape has emerged as the most significant barrier to cancer therapy. A thorough understanding of tumor immune escape therapy mechanisms is critical for further improving clinical treatment strategies. Currently, research indicates that combining several immunotherapies can boost antitumor efficacy and encourage T cells to play a more active part in the immune assault. To generate a more substantial therapeutic impact, it can establish an ideal tumor microenvironment (TME), encourage T cells to play a role, prevent T cell immune function reversal, and minimize tumor immune tolerance. In this review, we will examine the mechanisms of tumor immune escape and the limits of tumor immune escape therapy, focusing on the current development of immunotherapy based on tumor immune escape mechanisms. Individualized tumor treatment is becoming increasingly apparent as future treatment strategies. In addition, we forecast the future research direction of cancer and the clinical approach for cancer immunotherapy. It will serve as a better reference for researchers working in cancer therapy research.
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A Pan-Cancer Analysis on the Systematic Correlation of MutS Homolog 2 (MSH2) to a Malignant Tumor. JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2022; 2022:9175402. [PMID: 35368899 PMCID: PMC8970884 DOI: 10.1155/2022/9175402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
MutS homolog 2 (MSH2) is a crucial participant in human DNA repair, and lots of the studies functionally associated with it were begun with hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC). MSH2 has also been reported to take part in the progresses of various tumors' formation. With the help of GTEx, CCLE, and TCGA pan-cancer databases, the analysis of MSH2 gene distribution in both tumor tissues and normal control tissues was carried out. Kaplan-Meyer survival plots and COX regression analysis were conducted for the assessment into the MSH2's impact on tumor patients' clinical prognosis. In an investigation to the association of MSH2 expression with immune infiltration level of various tumors and a similar study on tumor immune neoantigens, microsatellite instability was subsequently taken. It was found that high expression of MSH2 is prevalent in most cancers. MSH2's efficacy on clinical prognosis as well as immune infiltration in tumor patients revealed a fact that expression of MSH2 in prostate adenocarcinoma (PRAD), brain lower-grade glioma (LGG), breast-invasive carcinoma (BRCA), and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) posed a significant correlation with the immune cell infiltration level of patients. Likewise as above, MSH2's expression comes in a similar trend with tumor immune neoantigens and microsatellite instability. MSH2's expression in the majority of tumors is a direct factor to the activation of tumor-associated pathways as well as immune-associated pathways. MSH2's early screening or even therapeutic target role for sarcoma (SARC) diagnosis is contributing to the efficiency of early screening and overall survival in SARC patients.
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System Analysis of Adaptor-Related Protein Complex 1 Subunit Mu 2 (AP1M2) on Malignant Tumors: A Pan-Cancer Analysis. JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2022; 2022:7945077. [PMID: 35154321 PMCID: PMC8829438 DOI: 10.1155/2022/7945077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 12/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Objective To identify new tumor marker genes available for early tumor screening, differentially expressed gene profiles of multiple tumors were compared using Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE), and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases. As AP1M2 was highly and differentially expressed in invasive breast carcinoma, the purpose of this study was to explore the association of AP1M2 gene with the survival, immune invasion, and tumor neoantigens of patients on a pan-cancer basis. Methods The expression and distribution of AP1M2 gene in tumor tissues and the corresponding normal control tissues were analyzed using the pan-cancer databases GTEx, CCLE, and TCGA. Kaplan-Meyer survival plots and proportional hazards model (COX) were employed to evaluate actions of AP1M2 on the clinical prognosis of tumor patients. Subsequently, the association of AP1M2 expression with immune invasion in different tumor types was explored. Simultaneously, the investigation of the interrelationship of AP1M2 and tumor neoantigens of the immune system, unstable microsatellite, DNA repair genes, and DNA methyltransferases were explored, and the mutation frequency of AP1M2 gene in diverse tumors was studied. Several tumor types were analyzed using gene-set enrichment analysis (GSEA). Results AP1M2 was abundantly expressed in a wide range of cancers, and its expression level was positively correlated with the outcome of tumor victims. Through a study on AP1M2 action on clinical prognosis and immune infiltration in tumor patients, AP1M2 expression in breast-infiltrating carcinoma was found to be highly associated with patients' overall survival and infiltration levels of macrophages, dendritic cells, T cells (CD4+ and CD8+), and B cells. Also, AP1M2 expression was positively correlated with tumor immune neoantigens and microsatellite instability in breast invasive carcinoma. The effect of AP1M2 on tumors was analyzed by GSEA, and findings demonstrated that AP1M2 expression levels in most tumors influenced the activation of tumor-associated pathways and immune-associated pathways. Conclusions These findings suggest that AP1M2 expression levels are significantly correlated to patients' outcomes and levels of immune infiltration in most cancer types, including T cells (CD8+ and CD4+), macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells (DCs), particularly in breast cancer. The results indicate that AP1M2 may influence the tumor environment of invasive breast cancer patients and it may be a target contributing to early screening and treatment for breast cancer, helping improve the efficiency of early screening and overall survival rate in invasive breast cancer patients.
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Boegel S, Castle JC, Schwarting A. Current status of use of high throughput nucleotide sequencing in rheumatology. RMD Open 2021; 7:rmdopen-2020-001324. [PMID: 33408124 PMCID: PMC7789458 DOI: 10.1136/rmdopen-2020-001324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Here, we assess the usage of high throughput sequencing (HTS) in rheumatic research and the availability of public HTS data of rheumatic samples. METHODS We performed a semiautomated literature review on PubMed, consisting of an R-script and manual curation as well as a manual search on the Sequence Read Archive for public available HTS data. RESULTS Of the 699 identified articles, rheumatoid arthritis (n=182 publications, 26%), systemic lupus erythematous (n=161, 23%) and osteoarthritis (n=152, 22%) are among the rheumatic diseases with the most reported use of HTS assays. The most represented assay is RNA-Seq (n=457, 65%) for the identification of biomarkers in blood or synovial tissue. We also find, that the quality of accompanying clinical characterisation of the sequenced patients differs dramatically and we propose a minimal set of clinical data necessary to accompany rheumatological-relevant HTS data. CONCLUSION HTS allows the analysis of a broad spectrum of molecular features in many samples at the same time. It offers enormous potential in novel personalised diagnosis and treatment strategies for patients with rheumatic diseases. Being established in cancer research and in the field of Mendelian diseases, rheumatic diseases are about to become the third disease domain for HTS, especially the RNA-Seq assay. However, we need to start a discussion about reporting of clinical characterisation accompany rheumatological-relevant HTS data to make clinical meaningful use of this data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Boegel
- Department of Internal Medicine, University Center of Autoimmunity, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | | | - Andreas Schwarting
- Department of Internal Medicine, University Center of Autoimmunity, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz, Germany.,Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University Hospital Mainz, Mainz, Germany.,Acura Rheumatology Center Rhineland Palatinate, Bad Kreuznach, Germany
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Verdon DJ, Jenkins MR. Identification and Targeting of Mutant Peptide Neoantigens in Cancer Immunotherapy. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:4245. [PMID: 34439399 PMCID: PMC8391927 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13164245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent decades, adoptive cell transfer and checkpoint blockade therapies have revolutionized immunotherapeutic approaches to cancer treatment. Advances in whole exome/genome sequencing and bioinformatic detection of tumour-specific genetic variations and the amino acid sequence alterations they induce have revealed that T cell mediated anti-tumour immunity is substantially directed at mutated peptide sequences, and the identification and therapeutic targeting of patient-specific mutated peptide antigens now represents an exciting and rapidly progressing frontier of personalized medicine in the treatment of cancer. This review outlines the historical identification and validation of mutated peptide neoantigens as a target of the immune system, and the technical development of bioinformatic and experimental strategies for detecting, confirming and prioritizing both patient-specific or "private" and frequently occurring, shared "public" neoantigenic targets. Further, we examine the range of therapeutic modalities that have demonstrated preclinical and clinical anti-tumour efficacy through specifically targeting neoantigens, including adoptive T cell transfer, checkpoint blockade and neoantigen vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J. Verdon
- Immunology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia;
| | - Misty R. Jenkins
- Immunology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia;
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- La Trobe Institute of Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia
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18
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Marcu A, Bichmann L, Kuchenbecker L, Kowalewski DJ, Freudenmann LK, Backert L, Mühlenbruch L, Szolek A, Lübke M, Wagner P, Engler T, Matovina S, Wang J, Hauri-Hohl M, Martin R, Kapolou K, Walz JS, Velz J, Moch H, Regli L, Silginer M, Weller M, Löffler MW, Erhard F, Schlosser A, Kohlbacher O, Stevanović S, Rammensee HG, Neidert MC. HLA Ligand Atlas: a benign reference of HLA-presented peptides to improve T-cell-based cancer immunotherapy. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:e002071. [PMID: 33858848 PMCID: PMC8054196 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-002071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The human leucocyte antigen (HLA) complex controls adaptive immunity by presenting defined fractions of the intracellular and extracellular protein content to immune cells. Understanding the benign HLA ligand repertoire is a prerequisite to define safe T-cell-based immunotherapies against cancer. Due to the poor availability of benign tissues, if available, normal tissue adjacent to the tumor has been used as a benign surrogate when defining tumor-associated antigens. However, this comparison has proven to be insufficient and even resulted in lethal outcomes. In order to match the tumor immunopeptidome with an equivalent counterpart, we created the HLA Ligand Atlas, the first extensive collection of paired HLA-I and HLA-II immunopeptidomes from 227 benign human tissue samples. This dataset facilitates a balanced comparison between tumor and benign tissues on HLA ligand level. METHODS Human tissue samples were obtained from 16 subjects at autopsy, five thymus samples and two ovary samples originating from living donors. HLA ligands were isolated via immunoaffinity purification and analyzed in over 1200 liquid chromatography mass spectrometry runs. Experimentally and computationally reproducible protocols were employed for data acquisition and processing. RESULTS The initial release covers 51 HLA-I and 86 HLA-II allotypes presenting 90,428 HLA-I- and 142,625 HLA-II ligands. The HLA allotypes are representative for the world population. We observe that immunopeptidomes differ considerably between tissues and individuals on source protein and HLA-ligand level. Moreover, we discover 1407 HLA-I ligands from non-canonical genomic regions. Such peptides were previously described in tumors, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), healthy lung tissues and cell lines. In a case study in glioblastoma, we show that potential on-target off-tumor adverse events in immunotherapy can be avoided by comparing tumor immunopeptidomes to the provided multi-tissue reference. CONCLUSION Given that T-cell-based immunotherapies, such as CAR-T cells, affinity-enhanced T cell transfer, cancer vaccines and immune checkpoint inhibition, have significant side effects, the HLA Ligand Atlas is the first step toward defining tumor-associated targets with an improved safety profile. The resource provides insights into basic and applied immune-associated questions in the context of cancer immunotherapy, infection, transplantation, allergy and autoimmunity. It is publicly available and can be browsed in an easy-to-use web interface at https://hla-ligand-atlas.org .
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Marcu
- Department of Immunology, Interfaculty Institute for Cell Biology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Leon Bichmann
- Department of Immunology, Interfaculty Institute for Cell Biology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Applied Bioinformatics, Department of Computer Science, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Leon Kuchenbecker
- Applied Bioinformatics, Department of Computer Science, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Daniel Johannes Kowalewski
- Department of Immunology, Interfaculty Institute for Cell Biology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lena Katharina Freudenmann
- Department of Immunology, Interfaculty Institute for Cell Biology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- DKFZ Partner Site Tübingen, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Linus Backert
- Department of Immunology, Interfaculty Institute for Cell Biology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Applied Bioinformatics, Department of Computer Science, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lena Mühlenbruch
- Department of Immunology, Interfaculty Institute for Cell Biology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- DKFZ Partner Site Tübingen, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Tübingen, Germany
| | - András Szolek
- Applied Bioinformatics, Department of Computer Science, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Maren Lübke
- Department of Immunology, Interfaculty Institute for Cell Biology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Philipp Wagner
- Department of Immunology, Interfaculty Institute for Cell Biology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Tobias Engler
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sabine Matovina
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jian Wang
- Neuroimmunology and MS Research, Neurology Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mathias Hauri-Hohl
- Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Roland Martin
- Neuroimmunology and MS Research, Neurology Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Konstantina Kapolou
- Clinical Neuroscience Center and Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Juliane Sarah Walz
- Department of Immunology, Interfaculty Institute for Cell Biology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Clinical Collaboration Unit Translational Immunology, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Dr. Margarete Fischer-Bosch Institute of Clinical Pharmacology (IKP) and Robert Bosch Center for Tumor Diseases (RBCT), Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Julia Velz
- Clinical Neuroscience Center and Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Holger Moch
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Pathology, University Hospital and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Luca Regli
- Clinical Neuroscience Center and Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Manuela Silginer
- Clinical Neuroscience Center and Department of Neurology, University Hospital and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Weller
- Clinical Neuroscience Center and Department of Neurology, University Hospital and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Markus W Löffler
- Department of Immunology, Interfaculty Institute for Cell Biology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- DKFZ Partner Site Tübingen, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Tübingen, Germany
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Florian Erhard
- Institute for Virology and Immunobiology, Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg, Würzburg, Bayern, Germany
| | - Andreas Schlosser
- Rudolf Virchow Center - Center for Integrative and Translational Bioimaging, Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Oliver Kohlbacher
- Applied Bioinformatics, Department of Computer Science, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- DKFZ Partner Site Tübingen, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Tübingen, Germany
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Medical Informatics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Quantitative Biology Center (QBiC), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Biomolecular Interactions, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence Machine Learning in the Sciences (EXC 2064), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute for Translational Bioinformatics, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Stefan Stevanović
- Department of Immunology, Interfaculty Institute for Cell Biology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- DKFZ Partner Site Tübingen, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hans-Georg Rammensee
- Department of Immunology, Interfaculty Institute for Cell Biology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies", University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- DKFZ Partner Site Tübingen, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marian Christoph Neidert
- Clinical Neuroscience Center and Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Neurosurgery, Cantonal Hospital St.Gallen, St.Gallen, Switzerland
- Neuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ), University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Identification of candidate genes encoding tumor-specific neoantigens in early- and late-stage colon adenocarcinoma. Aging (Albany NY) 2021; 13:4024-4044. [PMID: 33428592 PMCID: PMC7906157 DOI: 10.18632/aging.202370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) is one of the most common gastrointestinal malignant tumors and is characterized by a high mortality rate. Here, we integrated whole-exome and RNA sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and investigated the mutational spectra of COAD-overexpressed genes to define clinically relevant diagnostic/prognostic signatures and to unmask functional relationships with both tumor-infiltrating immune cells and regulatory miRNAs. We identified 24 recurrently mutated genes (frequency > 5%) encoding putative COAD-specific neoantigens. Five of them (NEB, DNAH2, ABCA12, CENPF and CELSR1) had not been previously reported as COAD biomarkers. Through machine learning-based feature selection, four early-stage-related (COL11A1, TG, SOX9, and DNAH2) and four late-stage-related (COL11A1, SOX9, TG and BRCA2) candidate neoantigen-encoding genes were selected as diagnostic signatures. They respectively showed 100% and 97% accuracy in predicting early- and late-stage patients, and an 8-gene signature had excellent prognostic performance predicting disease-free survival (DFS) in COAD patients. We also found significant correlations between the 24 candidate neoantigen genes and the abundance and/or activation status of 22 tumor-infiltrating immune cell types and 56 regulatory miRNAs. Our novel neoantigen-based signatures may improve diagnostic and prognostic accuracy and help design targeted immunotherapies for COAD treatment.
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Han Y, Wang J, Xu B. Novel biomarkers and prediction model for the pathological complete response to neoadjuvant treatment of triple-negative breast cancer. J Cancer 2021; 12:936-945. [PMID: 33403050 PMCID: PMC7778555 DOI: 10.7150/jca.52439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: To develop and validate a prediction model for the pathological complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Methods: We systematically searched Gene Expression Omnibus, ArrayExpress, and PubMed for the gene expression profiles of operable TNBC accessible to NCT. Molecular heterogeneity was detected with hierarchical clustering method, and the biological profiles of differentially expressed genes were investigated by Gene Ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). Next, machine-learning algorithms including random-forest analysis and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis were synchronously performed and, then, the intersected proportion of significant genes was undergone binary logistic regression to fulfill variables selection. The predictive response score (pRS) system was built as the product of the gene expression and coefficient obtained from the logistic analysis. Last, the cohorts were randomly divided in a 7:3 ratio into training cohort and validation cohort for the introduction of a robust model, and a nomogram was constructed with the independent predictors for pCR rate. Results: A total of 217 individuals from four cohort datasets (GSE32646, GSE25065, GSE25055, GSE21974) with complete clinicopathological information were included. Based on the microarray data, a six-gene panel (ATP4B, FBXO22, FCN2, RRP8, SMERK2, TET3) was identified. A robust nomogram, adopting pRS and clinical tumor size stage, was established and the performance was successively validated by calibration curves and receiver operating characteristic curves with the area under curve 0.704 and 0.756, respectively. Results of GSEA revealed that the biological processes including apoptosis, hypoxia, mTORC1 signaling and myogenesis, and oncogenic features of EGFR and RAF were in proactivity to attribute to an inferior response. Conclusions: This study provided a robust prediction model for pCR rate and revealed potential mechanisms of distinct response to NCT in TNBC, which were promising and warranted to further validate in the perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiqun Han
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College. No. 17, Panjiayuan Nanli, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100021, China
| | - Jiayu Wang
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College. No. 17, Panjiayuan Nanli, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100021, China
| | - Binghe Xu
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College. No. 17, Panjiayuan Nanli, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100021, China
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Towards new horizons: characterization, classification and implications of the tumour antigenic repertoire. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 2020; 17:595-610. [PMID: 32572208 PMCID: PMC7306938 DOI: 10.1038/s41571-020-0387-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Immune-checkpoint inhibition provides an unmatched level of durable clinical efficacy in various malignancies. Such therapies promote the activation of antigen-specific T cells, although the precise targets of these T cells remain unknown. Exploiting these targets holds great potential to amplify responses to treatment, such as by combining immune-checkpoint inhibition with therapeutic vaccination or other antigen-directed treatments. In this scenario, the pivotal hurdle remains the definition of valid HLA-restricted tumour antigens, which requires several levels of evidence before targets can be established with sufficient confidence. Suitable antigens might include tumour-specific antigens with alternative or wild-type sequences, tumour-associated antigens and cryptic antigens that exceed exome boundaries. Comprehensive antigen classification is required to enable future clinical development and the definition of innovative treatment strategies. Furthermore, clinical development remains challenging with regard to drug manufacturing and regulation, as well as treatment feasibility. Despite these challenges, treatments based on diligently curated antigens combined with a suitable therapeutic platform have the potential to enable optimal antitumour efficacy in patients, either as monotherapies or in combination with other established immunotherapies. In this Review, we summarize the current state-of-the-art approaches for the identification of candidate tumour antigens and provide a structured terminology based on their underlying characteristics. Immune-checkpoint inhibition has transformed the treatment of patients with advanced-stage cancers. Nonetheless, the specific antigens targeted by T cells that are activated or reactivated by these agents remain largely unknown. In this Review, the authors describe the characterization and classification of tumour antigens including descriptions of the most appropriate detection methods, and discuss potential regulatory issues regarding the use of tumour antigen-based therapeutics. Immune-checkpoint inhibition has profoundly changed the paradigm for the care of several malignancies. Although these therapies activate antigen-specific T cells, the precise mechanisms of action and their specific targets remain largely unknown. Anticancer immunotherapies encompass two fundamentally different therapeutic principles based on knowledge of their therapeutic targets, that either have been characterized (antigen-aware) or have remained elusive (antigen-unaware). HLA-presented tumour antigens of potential therapeutic relevance can comprise alternative or wild-type amino acid sequences and can be subdivided into different categories based on their mechanisms of formation. The available methods for the detection of HLA-presented antigens come with intrinsic challenges and limitations and, therefore, warrant multiple lines of evidence of robust tumour specificity before being considered for clinical use. Knowledge obtained using various antigen-detection strategies can be combined with different therapeutic platforms to create individualized therapies that hold great promise, including when combined with already established immunotherapies. Tailoring immunotherapies while taking into account the substantial heterogeneity of malignancies as well as that of HLA loci not only requires innovative science, but also demands innovative approaches to trial design and drug regulation.
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Rammensee HG, Löffler MW, Walz JS, Bokemeyer C, Haen SP, Gouttefangeas C. [Tumor vaccines-therapeutic vaccination against cancer]. Internist (Berl) 2020; 61:690-698. [PMID: 32462251 DOI: 10.1007/s00108-020-00814-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Tumor cells always exhibit differences to normal cells. These differences can be recognized by the immune system, enabling the destruction of tumor cells by T cells, as was impressively demonstrated by the success of immune checkpoint inhibition, e.g., in malignant melanoma. Many cancers, however, do not respond to this kind of therapy. In these cases, vaccination against tumor antigens could be very helpful. Nevertheless, all of the efforts made in this respect during the past 30 years have been virtually futile. With current knowledge and technology there is new hope.
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Affiliation(s)
- H-G Rammensee
- Interfakultäres Institut für Zellbiologie (IFIZ), Abteilung Immunologie, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 15, 72076, Tübingen, Deutschland. .,Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung (DKTK) am Deutschen Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ), Partnerstandort Tübingen, Tübingen, Deutschland. .,Exzellenzcluster iFIT (EXC2180) "Individualisierung von Tumortherapien durch molekulare Bildgebung und funktionelle Identifizierung therapeutischer Zielstrukturen", Tübingen, Deutschland.
| | - M W Löffler
- Interfakultäres Institut für Zellbiologie (IFIZ), Abteilung Immunologie, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 15, 72076, Tübingen, Deutschland.,Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung (DKTK) am Deutschen Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ), Partnerstandort Tübingen, Tübingen, Deutschland.,Exzellenzcluster iFIT (EXC2180) "Individualisierung von Tumortherapien durch molekulare Bildgebung und funktionelle Identifizierung therapeutischer Zielstrukturen", Tübingen, Deutschland.,Abteilung für Allgemeine, Viszeral- und Transplantationschirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Deutschland.,Abteilung Klinische Pharmakologie, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Deutschland
| | - J S Walz
- Interfakultäres Institut für Zellbiologie (IFIZ), Abteilung Immunologie, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 15, 72076, Tübingen, Deutschland.,Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung (DKTK) am Deutschen Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ), Partnerstandort Tübingen, Tübingen, Deutschland.,Exzellenzcluster iFIT (EXC2180) "Individualisierung von Tumortherapien durch molekulare Bildgebung und funktionelle Identifizierung therapeutischer Zielstrukturen", Tübingen, Deutschland.,Medizinische Klinik II für Hämatologie, Onkologie, Immunologie und Rheumatologie, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Deutschland.,Klinische Kooperationseinheit (KKE) für Translationale Immunologie, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen, Tübingen, Deutschland
| | - C Bokemeyer
- Zentrum für Onkologie, II. Medizinische Klinik (Onkologie, Hämatologie, Knochenmarktransplantation mit Abteilung für Pneumologie), Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Deutschland
| | - S P Haen
- Interfakultäres Institut für Zellbiologie (IFIZ), Abteilung Immunologie, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 15, 72076, Tübingen, Deutschland.,Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung (DKTK) am Deutschen Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ), Partnerstandort Tübingen, Tübingen, Deutschland.,Zentrum für Onkologie, II. Medizinische Klinik (Onkologie, Hämatologie, Knochenmarktransplantation mit Abteilung für Pneumologie), Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Deutschland
| | - C Gouttefangeas
- Interfakultäres Institut für Zellbiologie (IFIZ), Abteilung Immunologie, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 15, 72076, Tübingen, Deutschland.,Deutsches Konsortium für Translationale Krebsforschung (DKTK) am Deutschen Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ), Partnerstandort Tübingen, Tübingen, Deutschland.,Exzellenzcluster iFIT (EXC2180) "Individualisierung von Tumortherapien durch molekulare Bildgebung und funktionelle Identifizierung therapeutischer Zielstrukturen", Tübingen, Deutschland
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Chen X, Yang J, Wang L, Liu B. Personalized neoantigen vaccination with synthetic long peptides: recent advances and future perspectives. Theranostics 2020; 10:6011-6023. [PMID: 32483434 PMCID: PMC7255011 DOI: 10.7150/thno.38742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic cancer vaccines are one of the most promising strategies of immunotherapy. Traditional vaccines consisting of tumor-associated antigens have met with limited success. Recently, neoantigens derived from nonsynonymous mutations in tumor cells have emerged as alternatives that can improve tumor-specificity and reduce on-target off-tumor toxicity. Synthetic peptides are a common platform for neoantigen vaccines. It has been suggested that extending short peptides into long peptides can overcome immune tolerance and induce both CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses. This review will introduce the history of long peptide-based neoantigen vaccines, discuss their advantages, summarize current preclinical and clinical developments, and propose future perspectives.
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