1
|
D'Aniello A, Del Bene A, Mottola S, Mazzarella V, Cutolo R, Campagna E, Di Maro S, Messere A. The bright side of chemistry: Exploring synthetic peptide-based anticancer vaccines. J Pept Sci 2024; 30:e3596. [PMID: 38571326 DOI: 10.1002/psc.3596] [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] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
The present review focuses on synthetic peptide-based vaccine strategies in the context of anticancer intervention, paying attention to critical aspects such as peptide epitope selection, adjuvant integration, and nuanced classification of synthetic peptide cancer vaccines. Within this discussion, we delve into the diverse array of synthetic peptide-based anticancer vaccines, each derived from tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), including melanoma antigen recognized by T cells 1 (Melan-A or MART-1), mucin 1 (MUC1), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2), tumor protein 53 (p53), human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), survivin, folate receptor (FR), cancer-testis antigen 1 (NY-ESO-1), and prostate-specific antigen (PSA). We also describe the synthetic peptide-based vaccines developed for cancers triggered by oncovirus, such as human papillomavirus (HPV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Additionally, the potential synergy of peptide-based vaccines with common therapeutics in cancer was considered. The last part of our discussion deals with the realm of the peptide-based vaccines delivery, highlighting its role in translating the most promising candidates into effective clinical strategies. Although this discussion does not cover all the ongoing peptide vaccine investigations, it aims at offering valuable insights into the chemical modifications and the structural complexities of anticancer peptide-based vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antonia D'Aniello
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
| | - Alessandra Del Bene
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
| | - Salvatore Mottola
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Mazzarella
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
| | - Roberto Cutolo
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
| | - Erica Campagna
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
| | - Salvatore Di Maro
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
- Interuniversity Research Centre on Bioactive Peptides (CIRPEB), Naples, Italy
| | - Anna Messere
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
- Interuniversity Research Centre on Bioactive Peptides (CIRPEB), Naples, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Xu C. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout strategies for enhancing immunotherapy in breast cancer. NAUNYN-SCHMIEDEBERG'S ARCHIVES OF PHARMACOLOGY 2024:10.1007/s00210-024-03208-2. [PMID: 38907847 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-024-03208-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/24/2024]
Abstract
Breast cancer, a prevalent disease with significant mortality rates, often presents treatment challenges due to its complex genetic makeup. This review explores the potential of combining Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) gene knockout strategies with immunotherapeutic approaches to enhance breast cancer treatment. The CRISPR/Cas9 system, renowned for its precision in inducing genetic alterations, can target and eliminate specific cancer cells, thereby minimizing off-target effects. Concurrently, immunotherapy, which leverages the immune system's power to combat cancer, has shown promise in treating breast cancer. By integrating these two strategies, we can potentially augment the effectiveness of immunotherapies by knocking out genes that enable cancer cells to evade the immune system. However, safety considerations, such as off-target effects and immune responses, necessitate careful evaluation. Current research endeavors aim to optimize these strategies and ascertain the most effective methods to stimulate the immune response. This review provides novel insights into the integration of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout strategies and immunotherapy, a promising avenue that could revolutionize breast cancer treatment as our understanding of the immune system's interplay with cancer deepens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chenchen Xu
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Changzhou Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Changzhou Medical Center, Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou, 213000, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Abdulabbas HT, Mohammad Ali AN, Farjadfar A, Arabfard M, Najafipour S, Kouhpayeh A, Ghasemian A, Behmard E. Design of a novel multi-epitope vaccine candidate against Chlamydia trachomatis using structural and nonstructural proteins: an immunoinformatics study. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2024; 42:4356-4369. [PMID: 37288800 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2220812] [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] [Received: 03/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) is an obligate intracellular bacterium which causes eye and sexually transmitted infections. During pregnancy, the bacterium is associated with preterm complications, low weight of neonates, fetal demise and endometritis leading to infertility. The aim of our study was design of a multi-epitope vaccine (MEV) candidate against C. trachomatis. After protein sequence adoption from the NCBI, potential epitopes toxicity, antigenicity, allergenicity, MHC-I and MHC-II binding, cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), Helper T lymphocytes (HTLs) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ)- induction were predicted. The adopted epitopes were fused together using appropriate linkers. In the next step, the MEV structural mapping and characterization, three-dimensional (3D) structure homology modeling and refinement were also performed. The MEV candidate interaction with the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) was also docked. The immune responses simulation was assessed using the C-IMMSIM server. Molecular dynamic (MD) simulation verified the structural stability of the TLR4-MEV complex. The Molecular Mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area (MMPBSA) approach demonstrated the MEV high affinity of binding to the TLR4, MHC-I and MHC-II. The MEV construct was also stable and water soluble and had enough antigenicity and lacked allergenicity with stimulation of T cells and B cells and INF-γ release. The immune simulation confirmed acceptable responses of both the humoral and cellular arms. It is proposed that in vitro and in vivo studies are needed to evaluate the findings of this study.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hussein T Abdulabbas
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Medical College, Al Muthanna University, Al Muthanna, Iraq
| | | | - Akbar Farjadfar
- Department of medical Biotechnology, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran
| | - Masoud Arabfard
- Chemical Injuries Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sohrab Najafipour
- School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran
| | - Amin Kouhpayeh
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran
| | - Abdolmajid Ghasemian
- Noncommunicable Diseases Research Center, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran
| | - Esmaeil Behmard
- School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Banesh S, Patil N, Chethireddy VR, Bhukmaria A, Saudagar P. Design and evaluation of a multiepitope vaccine for pancreatic cancer using immune-dominant epitopes derived from the signature proteome in expression datasets. Med Oncol 2024; 41:90. [PMID: 38522058 DOI: 10.1007/s12032-024-02334-4] [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] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is a highly aggressive and often lethal malignancy with limited treatment options. Its late-stage diagnosis and resistance to conventional therapies make it a significant challenge in oncology. Immunotherapy, particularly cancer vaccines, has emerged as a promising avenue for treating pancreatic cancer. Multi-epitope vaccines, designed to target multiple epitopes derived from various antigens associated with pancreatic cancer, have gained attention as potential candidates for improving therapeutic outcomes. In this study, we have explored transcriptomics and protein expression databases to identify potential upregulated proteins in pancreatic cancer cells. After examining a total of 21,054 proteins from various databases, it was discovered that 143 proteins expressed differently in malignant and healthy cells. The CTL, HTL and BCE epitopes were predicted for the shortlisted proteins. 51,840 vaccine constructs were created by concatenating CTL, HTL, and B-cell epitopes in the respective sequences. The best 86 structures were selected from a set of 51,840 designs after they were analyzed for vaxijenicity, allergenicity, toxicity, and antigenicity scores. In further simulation of the immune response using constructs, it was found that 41417, 37961, and 40841 constructs could produce a strong immune response when injected. Further, it was found that construct 37961 showed stronger interaction and stability with TLR-9 as determined from the large-scale molecular dynamics simulations. Moreover, the 37961 construct has shown interactions with TLR-9 suggests its potential in inducing immune response. In addition, construct 37961 has shown 100% predicted solubility in the E. coli expression system. Overall, the study indicates the designed construct 37961 has the potential to induce an anti-tumor immune response and long-standing protection pending further studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sooram Banesh
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology-Warangal, Warangal, Telangana, 506004, India
| | - Nupoor Patil
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology-Warangal, Warangal, Telangana, 506004, India
| | - Vihadhar Reddy Chethireddy
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology-Warangal, Warangal, Telangana, 506004, India
| | - Arnav Bhukmaria
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology-Warangal, Warangal, Telangana, 506004, India
| | - Prakash Saudagar
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology-Warangal, Warangal, Telangana, 506004, India.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Lan HR, Chen M, Yao SY, Chen JX, Jin KT. Novel immunotherapies for breast cancer: Focus on 2023 findings. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 128:111549. [PMID: 38266449 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.111549] [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] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Immunotherapy has emerged as a revolutionary approach in cancer therapy, and recent advancements hold significant promise for breast cancer (BCa) management. Employing the patient's immune system to combat BCa has become a focal point in immunotherapeutic investigations. Strategies such as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), adoptive cell transfer (ACT), and targeting the tumor microenvironment (TME) have disclosed encouraging clinical outcomes. ICIs, particularly programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/PD-L1 inhibitors, exhibit efficacy in specific BCa subtypes, including triple-negative BCa (TNBC) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive cancers. ACT approaches, including tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, showed promising clinical outcomes in enhancing tumor recognition and elimination. Targeting the TME through immune agonists and oncolytic viruses signifies a burgeoning field of research. While challenges persist in patient selection, resistance mechanisms, and combination therapy optimization, these novel immunotherapies hold transformative potential for BCa treatment. Continued research and clinical trials are imperative to refine and implement these innovative approaches, paving the way for improved outcomes and revolutionizing the management of BCa. This review provides a concise overview of the latest immunotherapies (2023 studies) in BCa, highlighting their potential and current status.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Huan-Rong Lan
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Hangzhou Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310002, China
| | - Min Chen
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310006, China
| | - Shi-Ya Yao
- Department of Gastrointestinal, Colorectal and Anal Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310006, China
| | - Jun-Xia Chen
- Department of Gynecology, Shaoxing People's Hospital, Shaoxing, Zhejiang 312000, China.
| | - Ke-Tao Jin
- Department of Gastrointestinal, Colorectal and Anal Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310006, China.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Fatima GN, Fatma H, Saraf SK. Vaccines in Breast Cancer: Challenges and Breakthroughs. Diagnostics (Basel) 2023; 13:2175. [PMID: 37443570 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13132175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is a problem for women's health globally. Early detection techniques come in a variety of forms ranging from local to systemic and from non-invasive to invasive. The treatment of cancer has always been challenging despite the availability of a wide range of therapeutics. This is either due to the variable behaviour and heterogeneity of the proliferating cells and/or the individual's response towards the treatment applied. However, advancements in cancer biology and scientific technology have changed the course of the cancer treatment approach. This current review briefly encompasses the diagnostics, the latest and most recent breakthrough strategies and challenges, and the limitations in fighting breast cancer, emphasising the development of breast cancer vaccines. It also includes the filed/granted patents referring to the same aspects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gul Naz Fatima
- Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Babu Banarasi Das Northern India Institute of Technology, Lucknow 226028, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Hera Fatma
- Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Babu Banarasi Das Northern India Institute of Technology, Lucknow 226028, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Shailendra K Saraf
- Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Babu Banarasi Das Northern India Institute of Technology, Lucknow 226028, Uttar Pradesh, India
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Nordin ML, Azemi AK, Nordin AH, Nabgan W, Ng PY, Yusoff K, Abu N, Lim KP, Zakaria ZA, Ismail N, Azmi F. Peptide-Based Vaccine against Breast Cancer: Recent Advances and Prospects. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:923. [PMID: 37513835 PMCID: PMC10386531 DOI: 10.3390/ph16070923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is considered the second-leading cancer after lung cancer and is the most prevalent cancer among women globally. Currently, cancer immunotherapy via vaccine has gained great attention due to specific and targeted immune cell activity that creates a potent immune response, thus providing long-lasting protection against the disease. Despite peptides being very susceptible to enzymatic degradation and poor immunogenicity, they can be easily customized with selected epitopes to induce a specific immune response and particulate with carriers to improve their delivery and thus overcome their weaknesses. With advances in nanotechnology, the peptide-based vaccine could incorporate other components, thereby modulating the immune system response against breast cancer. Considering that peptide-based vaccines seem to show remarkably promising outcomes against cancer, this review focuses on and provides a specific view of peptide-based vaccines used against breast cancer. Here, we discuss the benefits associated with a peptide-based vaccine, which can be a mainstay in the prevention and recurrence of breast cancer. Additionally, we also report the results of recent trials as well as plausible prospects for nanotechnology against breast cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Luqman Nordin
- Centre for Drug Delivery Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Kuala Lumpur Campus, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK), Pengkalan Chepa, Kota Bharu 16100, Kelantan, Malaysia
| | - Ahmad Khusairi Azemi
- Institute of Marine Biotechnology, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Terengganu 21030, Malaysia
| | - Abu Hassan Nordin
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Arau 02600, Malaysia
| | - Walid Nabgan
- Departament d'Enginyeria Química, Universitat Rovira I Virgili, Av. Països Catalans 26, 43007 Tarragona, Spain
| | - Pei Yuen Ng
- Drug and Herbal Research Centre, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia
| | - Khatijah Yusoff
- National Institutes of Biotechnology, Malaysia Genome and Vaccine Institute, Jalan Bangi, Kajang 43000, Malaysia
| | - Nadiah Abu
- UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute (UMBI), UKM Medical Centre, Jalan Ya'acob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia
| | - Kue Peng Lim
- Cancer Immunology & Immunotherapy Unit, Cancer Research Malaysia, No. 1 Jalan SS12/1A, Subang Jaya 47500, Malaysia
| | - Zainul Amiruddin Zakaria
- Borneo Research on Algesia, Inflammation and Neurodegeneration (BRAIN) Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Malaysia
| | - Noraznawati Ismail
- Institute of Marine Biotechnology, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Terengganu 21030, Malaysia
| | - Fazren Azmi
- Centre for Drug Delivery Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Kuala Lumpur Campus, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
An Updated Review on Recent Advances in the Usage of Novel Therapeutic Peptides for Breast Cancer Treatment. Int J Pept Res Ther 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10989-023-10503-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
|
9
|
Li L, Duns GJ, Dessie W, Cao Z, Ji X, Luo X. Recent advances in peptide-based therapeutic strategies for breast cancer treatment. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1052301. [PMID: 36794282 PMCID: PMC9922721 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1052301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related fatalities in female worldwide. Effective therapies with low side effects for breast cancer treatment and prevention are, accordingly, urgently required. Targeting anticancer materials, breast cancer vaccines and anticancer drugs have been studied for many years to decrease side effects, prevent breast cancer and suppress tumors, respectively. There are abundant evidences to demonstrate that peptide-based therapeutic strategies, coupling of good safety and adaptive functionalities are promising for breast cancer therapy. In recent years, peptide-based vectors have been paid attention in targeting breast cancer due to their specific binding to corresponding receptors overexpressed in cell. To overcome the low internalization, cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) could be selected to increase the penetration due to the electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions between CPPs and cell membranes. Peptide-based vaccines are at the forefront of medical development and presently, 13 types of main peptide vaccines for breast cancer are being studied on phase III, phase II, phase I/II and phase I clinical trials. In addition, peptide-based vaccines including delivery vectors and adjuvants have been implemented. Many peptides have recently been used in clinical treatments for breast cancer. These peptides show different anticancer mechanisms and some novel peptides could reverse the resistance of breast cancer to susceptibility. In this review, we will focus on current studies of peptide-based targeting vectors, CPPs, peptide-based vaccines and anticancer peptides for breast cancer therapy and prevention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ling Li
- Hunan Engineering Technology Research Center for Comprehensive Development and Utilization of Biomass Resources, College of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, Yongzhou, China
| | - Gregory J. Duns
- Hunan Engineering Technology Research Center for Comprehensive Development and Utilization of Biomass Resources, College of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, Yongzhou, China
| | - Wubliker Dessie
- Hunan Engineering Technology Research Center for Comprehensive Development and Utilization of Biomass Resources, College of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, Yongzhou, China
| | - Zhenmin Cao
- Hunan Engineering Technology Research Center for Comprehensive Development and Utilization of Biomass Resources, College of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, Yongzhou, China
| | - Xiaoyuan Ji
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Medical College, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China,*Correspondence: Xiaoyuan Ji, ; Xiaofang Luo,
| | - Xiaofang Luo
- Hunan Engineering Technology Research Center for Comprehensive Development and Utilization of Biomass Resources, College of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Hunan University of Science and Engineering, Yongzhou, China,*Correspondence: Xiaoyuan Ji, ; Xiaofang Luo,
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Du JJ, Su Z, Yu H, Qin S, Wang D. From design to clinic: Engineered peptide nanomaterials for cancer immunotherapy. Front Chem 2023; 10:1107600. [PMID: 36733612 PMCID: PMC9887119 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.1107600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy has revolutionized the field of cancer therapy. Nanomaterials can further improve the efficacy and safety of immunotherapy because of their tunability and multifunctionality. Owing to their natural biocompatibility, diverse designs, and dynamic self-assembly, peptide-based nanomaterials hold great potential as immunotherapeutic agents for many malignant cancers, with good immune response and safety. Over the past several decades, peptides have been developed as tumor antigens, effective antigen delivery carriers, and self-assembling adjuvants for cancer immunotherapy. In this review, we give a brief introduction to the use of peptide-based nanomaterials for cancer immunotherapy as antigens, carriers, and adjuvants, and to their current clinical applications. Overall, this review can facilitate further understanding of peptide-based nanomaterials for cancer immunotherapy and may pave the way for designing safe and efficient methods for future vaccines or immunotherapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jing-Jing Du
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease Pathogenesis and Intervention, College of Medicine, Hubei Polytechnic University, Huangshi, China
| | - Zhenhong Su
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease Pathogenesis and Intervention, College of Medicine, Hubei Polytechnic University, Huangshi, China
| | - Haoyi Yu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease Pathogenesis and Intervention, College of Medicine, Hubei Polytechnic University, Huangshi, China
| | - Sanhai Qin
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Kidney Disease Pathogenesis and Intervention, College of Medicine, Hubei Polytechnic University, Huangshi, China
| | - Dongyuan Wang
- Department of Pharmacy, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China,Hubei Province Clinical Research Center for Precision Medicine for Critical Illness, Wuhan, China,*Correspondence: Dongyuan Wang,
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Saha C, Bojdo J, Dunne NJ, Duary RK, Buckley N, McCarthy HO. Nucleic acid vaccination strategies for ovarian cancer. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:953887. [PMID: 36420446 PMCID: PMC9677957 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.953887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
High grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) is one of the most lethal ovarian cancers that is characterised by asymptomatic tumour growth, insufficient knowledge of malignant cell origin and sub-optimal detection. HGSC has been recently shown to originate in the fallopian tube and not in the ovaries. Conventional treatments such as chemotherapy and surgery depend upon the stage of the disease and have resulted in higher rates of relapse. Hence, there is a need for alternative treatments. Differential antigen expression levels have been utilised for early detection of the cancer and could be employed in vaccination strategies using nucleic acids. In this review the different vaccination strategies in Ovarian cancer are discussed and reviewed. Nucleic acid vaccination strategies have been proven to produce a higher CD8+ CTL response alongside CD4+ T-cell response when compared to other vaccination strategies and thus provide a good arena for antitumour immune therapy. DNA and mRNA need to be delivered into the intracellular matrix. To overcome ineffective naked delivery of the nucleic acid cargo, a suitable delivery system is required. This review also considers the suitability of cell penetrating peptides as a tool for nucleic acid vaccine delivery in ovarian cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chayanika Saha
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University of Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - James Bojdo
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University of Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas J. Dunne
- School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
- Centre for Medical Engineering Research, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
- Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, School of Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (I-Form), School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
- Advanced Materials and Bioengineering Research Centre (AMBER), Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Advanced Processing Technology Research Centre, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
- Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Raj Kumar Duary
- Department of Food Engineering and Technology, Tezpur University, Tezpur, India
| | - Niamh Buckley
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University of Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Helen O. McCarthy
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University of Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
- School of Chemical Sciences, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Epitope-based minigene vaccine targeting fibroblast activation protein α induces specific immune responses and anti-tumor effects in 4 T1 murine breast cancer model. Int Immunopharmacol 2022; 112:109237. [PMID: 36152535 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2022.109237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Fibroblast activation protein (FAPα) is a tumor stromal antigen expressed by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in more than 90 % of malignant epithelial carcinomas. FAPα-based immunotherapy has been reported and showed that FAPα-specific immune response can remold immune microenvironment and contribute to tumor regression. Many FAPα-based vaccines have been investigated in preclinical trials, which can elicit strong and durable cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTL) with good safety. However, epitope-based FAPα vaccines are rarely reported. To break tolerance against self-antigens, analogue epitopes with modified peptides at the anchor residues are typically used to improve epitope immunogenicity. To investigate the feasibility of a FAPα epitope-based vaccine for cancer immunotherapy in vivo, we conducted a preclinical study to identify a homologous CTL epitope of human and mouse FAPα and obtained its analogue epitope in BALB/c mice, and explored the anti-tumor activity of their minigene vaccines in 4 T1 tumor-bearing mice. By using in silico epitope prediction tools and immunogenicity assays, immunodominant epitope FAP.291 (YYFSWLTWV) and its analogue epitope FAP.291I9 (YYFSWLTWI) were identified. The FAP.291-based epitope minigene vaccine successfully stimulated CTLs targeting CAFs and exhibited anti-tumor activity in a 4 T1 murine breast cancer model. Furthermore, although the analogue epitope FAP.291I9 enhanced FAP.291-specific immune responses, improvement of anti-tumor immunity effects was not observed. Check of immunosuppressive factors revealed that the high levels of IL-10, IL-13, myeloid-derived suppressor cells and iNOS induced by FAP.291I9 increased, which considered the main cause of the failure of the analogue epitope-based vaccine. Thus, we demonstrated for the first time that the FAP.291 minigene vaccine could induce mouse CTLs and also function as a tumor regression antigen, providing the basis for future studies of FAPα epitope-based vaccines. This study may also be valuable for further improvement of the immunogenicity of analogue epitope vaccines.
Collapse
|
13
|
Peptide-Based Vaccines in Clinical Phases and New Potential Therapeutic Targets as a New Approach for Breast Cancer: A Review. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10081249. [PMID: 36016136 PMCID: PMC9416350 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10081249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women from 20 to 59 years old. The conventional treatment includes surgery, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and immunotherapy. This immunotherapy is based on administering monoclonal therapeutic antibodies (passive) or vaccines (active) with therapeutic purposes. Several types of vaccines could be used as potential treatments for cancer, including whole-cell, DNA, RNA, and peptide-based vaccines. Peptides used to develop vaccines are derived from tumor-associated antigens or tumor-specific antigens, such as HER-2, MUC1, ErbB2, CEA, FRα, MAGE A1, A3, and A10, NY-ESO-1, among others. Peptide-based vaccines provide some advantages, such as low cost, purity of the antigen, and the induction of humoral and cellular immune response. In this review, we explore the different types of vaccines against breast cancer with a specific focus on the description of peptide-based vaccines, their composition, immune response induction, and the description of new potential therapeutic targets.
Collapse
|
14
|
Karami Fath M, Babakhaniyan K, Zokaei M, Yaghoubian A, Akbari S, Khorsandi M, Soofi A, Nabi-Afjadi M, Zalpoor H, Jalalifar F, Azargoonjahromi A, Payandeh Z, Alagheband Bahrami A. Anti-cancer peptide-based therapeutic strategies in solid tumors. Cell Mol Biol Lett 2022; 27:33. [PMID: 35397496 PMCID: PMC8994312 DOI: 10.1186/s11658-022-00332-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Nowadays, conventional medical treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy cannot cure all types of cancer. A promising approach to treat solid tumors is the use of tumor-targeting peptides to deliver drugs or active agents selectively. Result Introducing beneficial therapeutic approaches, such as therapeutic peptides and their varied methods of action against tumor cells, can aid researchers in the discovery of novel peptides for cancer treatment. The biomedical applications of therapeutic peptides are highly interesting. These peptides, owing to their high selectivity, specificity, small dimensions, high biocompatibility, and easy modification, provide good opportunities for targeted drug delivery. In recent years, peptides have shown considerable promise as therapeutics or targeting ligands in cancer research and nanotechnology. Conclusion This study reviews a variety of therapeutic peptides and targeting ligands in cancer therapy. Initially, three types of tumor-homing and cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are described, and then their applications in breast, glioma, colorectal, and melanoma cancer research are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Karami Fath
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Kimiya Babakhaniyan
- Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Maryam Zokaei
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Nutrition Science, Food Science and Technology/National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Veterinary Medicine, Beyza Branch, Islamic Azad University, Beyza, Iran
| | - Azadeh Yaghoubian
- Department of Exercise Physiology, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sadaf Akbari
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Mahdieh Khorsandi
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Asma Soofi
- Department of Physical Chemistry, School of Chemistry, College of Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohsen Nabi-Afjadi
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of biological science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamidreza Zalpoor
- American Association of Kidney Patients, Tampa, FL, USA.,Shiraz Neuroscience Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.,Network of Immunity in Infection, Malignancy & Autoimmunity (NIIMA), Universal Scientific Education & Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
| | - Fateme Jalalifar
- School of Medicine, Jiroft University of Medical Sciences, Jiroft, Iran
| | | | - Zahra Payandeh
- Department Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Division Medical Inflammation Research, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Armina Alagheband Bahrami
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Wang X, Cao K, Guo E, Mao X, An C, Guo L, Zhang C, Guo J, Yang X, Sun J, Yang W, Li X, Miao S. Assessment of immune status of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma can predict prognosis and guide treatment. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2021; 71:1199-1220. [PMID: 34643766 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-021-03071-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the past few years, immunotherapy has changed the way we treat solid tumors. People pay more and more attention to the immune microenvironment of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). In this study, our immunotherapy research took advantage of the clinical database and focused our in-depth analysis on the tumor microenvironment (TME). METHODS This study evaluated the relationship between the clinical outcome and the local tissue and overall immune status in 412 patients with primary LSCC. We constructed and validated a risk model that could predict prognosis, assess immune status, identify high-risk patients, and develop personalized treatment plans through bioinformatics. In addition, through immunohistochemical analysis, we verified the differential expression of CTSL and KDM5D genes with the largest weight coefficients in the model in LSCC tissues and their influence on the prognosis and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). RESULTS We found that interstitial tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, tumor parenchymal-infiltrating lymphocyte volume, tumor infiltrates lymphocytes of frontier invasion, and the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were independent factors affecting the prognosis of patients with LSCC. A novel risk model can guide clinicians to accurately predict prognosis, identify high-risk patients, and formulate personalized treatment plans. The differential expression of genes such as CTSL and KDM5D has a significant correlation with the TILs of LSCC and the prognosis of patients. CONCLUSION Local and systemic inflammatory markers in patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma are reliable prognostic factors. The risk model and CTSL, KDM5D gene have important potential research value.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xueying Wang
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Kui Cao
- Department of Laboratory, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Erliang Guo
- Department of Surgery, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Xionghui Mao
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Changming An
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Chinese National Cancer Center &, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Cancer Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Lunhua Guo
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Cong Zhang
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Junnan Guo
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Xianguang Yang
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Ji Sun
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Weiwei Yang
- Department of Pathology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China
| | - Xiaomei Li
- Department of Pathology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150081, China.
| | - Susheng Miao
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150081, China.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Franzese O, Torino F, Giannetti E, Cioccoloni G, Aquino A, Faraoni I, Fuggetta MP, De Vecchis L, Giuliani A, Kaina B, Bonmassar E. Abscopal Effect and Drug-Induced Xenogenization: A Strategic Alliance in Cancer Treatment? Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms221910672. [PMID: 34639014 PMCID: PMC8509363 DOI: 10.3390/ijms221910672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The current state of cancer treatment is still far from being satisfactory considering the strong impairment of patients' quality of life and the high lethality of malignant diseases. Therefore, it is critical for innovative approaches to be tested in the near future. In view of the crucial role that is played by tumor immunity, the present review provides essential information on the immune-mediated effects potentially generated by the interplay between ionizing radiation and cytotoxic antitumor agents when interacting with target malignant cells. Therefore, the radiation-dependent abscopal effect (i.e., a biological effect of ionizing radiation that occurs outside the irradiated field), the influence of cancer chemotherapy on the antigenic pattern of target neoplastic cells, and the immunogenic cell death (ICD) caused by anticancer agents are the main topics of this presentation. It is widely accepted that tumor immunity plays a fundamental role in generating an abscopal effect and that anticancer drugs can profoundly influence not only the host immune responses, but also the immunogenic pattern of malignant cells. Remarkably, several anticancer drugs impact both the abscopal effect and ICD. In addition, certain classes of anticancer agents are able to amplify already expressed tumor-associated antigens (TAA). More importantly, other drugs, especially triazenes, induce the appearance of new tumor neoantigens (TNA), a phenomenon that we termed drug-induced xenogenization (DIX). The adoption of the abscopal effect is proposed as a potential therapeutic modality when properly applied concomitantly with drug-induced increase in tumor cell immunogenicity and ICD. Although little to no preclinical or clinical studies are presently available on this subject, we discuss this issue in terms of potential mechanisms and therapeutic benefits. Upcoming investigations are aimed at evaluating how chemical anticancer drugs, radiation, and immunotherapies are interacting and cooperate in evoking the abscopal effect, tumor xenogenization and ICD, paving the way for new and possibly successful approaches in cancer therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ornella Franzese
- School of Medicine, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy; (O.F.); (G.C.); (A.A.); (I.F.); (L.D.V.)
| | - Francesco Torino
- Department of Systems Medicine, Medical Oncology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy; (F.T.); (E.G.)
| | - Elisa Giannetti
- Department of Systems Medicine, Medical Oncology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy; (F.T.); (E.G.)
| | - Giorgia Cioccoloni
- School of Medicine, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy; (O.F.); (G.C.); (A.A.); (I.F.); (L.D.V.)
- School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, Leeds LS29JT, UK
| | - Angelo Aquino
- School of Medicine, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy; (O.F.); (G.C.); (A.A.); (I.F.); (L.D.V.)
| | - Isabella Faraoni
- School of Medicine, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy; (O.F.); (G.C.); (A.A.); (I.F.); (L.D.V.)
| | - Maria Pia Fuggetta
- Institute of Translational Pharmacology, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Via Fosso del Cavaliere, 00133 Rome, Italy; (M.P.F.); (A.G.)
| | - Liana De Vecchis
- School of Medicine, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy; (O.F.); (G.C.); (A.A.); (I.F.); (L.D.V.)
| | - Anna Giuliani
- Institute of Translational Pharmacology, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Via Fosso del Cavaliere, 00133 Rome, Italy; (M.P.F.); (A.G.)
| | - Bernd Kaina
- Institute of Toxicology, University Medical Center, D-55131 Mainz, Germany
- Correspondence: (B.K.); (E.B.)
| | - Enzo Bonmassar
- School of Medicine, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy; (O.F.); (G.C.); (A.A.); (I.F.); (L.D.V.)
- Institute of Translational Pharmacology, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Via Fosso del Cavaliere, 00133 Rome, Italy; (M.P.F.); (A.G.)
- Correspondence: (B.K.); (E.B.)
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Nordin ML, Mohamad Norpi AS, Ng PY, Yusoff K, Abu N, Lim KP, Azmi F. HER2/neu-Based Peptide Vaccination-Pulsed with B-Cell Epitope Induced Efficient Prophylactic and Therapeutic Antitumor Activities in TUBO Breast Cancer Mice Model. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:4958. [PMID: 34638441 PMCID: PMC8507975 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13194958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Revised: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most common invasive cancer diagnosed among women. A cancer vaccine has been recognized as a form of immunotherapy with a prominent position in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer. The majority of current breast cancer vaccination strategies aim to stimulate antitumor T-cell responses of the HER2/neu oncogene, which is abnormally expressed in breast cancer cells. However, the role of the B-cell humoral response is often underappreciated in the cancer vaccine design. We have advanced this idea by elucidating the role of B-cells in cancer vaccination by designing a chimeric antigenic peptide possessing both cytotoxic T lymphocytes (GP2) and B-cell (P4) peptide epitopes derived from HER2/neu. The chimeric peptide (GP2-P4) was further conjugated to a carrier protein (KLH), forming a KLH-GP2-P4 conjugate. The immunogenicity of KLH-GP2-P4 was compared with KLH-GP2 (lacking the B-cell epitope) in BALB/c mice. Mice immunized with KLH-GP2-P4 elicited more potent antigen-specific neutralizing antibodies against syngeneic TUBO cells (cancer cell line overexpressing HER2/neu) that was governed by a balanced Th1/Th2 polarization in comparison to KLH-GP2. Subsequently, these immune responses led to greater inhibition of tumor growth and longer survival in TUBO tumor-bearing mice in both prophylactic and therapeutic challenge experiments. Overall, our data demonstrated that the B-cell epitope has a profound effect in orchestrating an efficacious antitumor immunity. Thus, a multi-epitope peptide vaccine encompassing cytotoxic T-lymphocytes, T-helper and B-cell epitopes represents a promising strategy in developing cancer vaccines with a preventive and therapeutic modality for the effective management of breast cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Luqman Nordin
- Centre for Drug Delivery Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Kuala Lumpur Campus, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia; (M.L.N.); (A.S.M.N.)
- Department of Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK), Pengkalan Chepa, Kota Bharu 16100, Kelantan, Malaysia
| | - Abdin Shakirin Mohamad Norpi
- Centre for Drug Delivery Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Kuala Lumpur Campus, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia; (M.L.N.); (A.S.M.N.)
- Faculty of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Royal College of Medicine Perak, Universiti Kuala Lumpur, No.3 Jalan Greentown, Ipoh 30450, Perak, Malaysia
| | - Pei Yuen Ng
- Drug and Herbal Research Centre, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia;
| | - Khatijah Yusoff
- UPM-MAKNA Cancer Research Laboratory, Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Serdang, Seri Kembangan 43400, Selangor, Malaysia;
| | - Nadiah Abu
- UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute (UMBI), UKM Medical Centre, Jalan Ya’acob Latiff, Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia;
| | - Kue Peng Lim
- Cancer Immunology & Immunotherapy Unit, Cancer Research Malaysia, No. 1 Jalan SS12/1A, Subang Jaya 47500, Selangor, Malaysia;
| | - Fazren Azmi
- Centre for Drug Delivery Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Kuala Lumpur Campus, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia; (M.L.N.); (A.S.M.N.)
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Zhu L, Shi Y, Xiong Y, Ba L, Li Q, Qiu M, Zou Z, Peng G. Emerging self-assembling peptide nanomaterial for anti-cancer therapy. J Biomater Appl 2021; 36:882-901. [PMID: 34180306 DOI: 10.1177/08853282211027882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Recently it is mainly focused on anti-tumor comprehensive treatments like finding target tumor cells or activating immune cells to inhibit tumor recurrence and metastasis. At present, chemotherapy and molecular-targeted drugs can inhibit tumor cell growth to a certain extent. However, multi-drug resistance and immune escape often make it difficult for new drugs to achieve expected effects. Peptide hydrogel nanoparticles is a new type of biological material with functional peptide chains as the core and self-assembling peptide (SAP) as the framework. It has a variety of significant biological functions, including effective local inflammation suppression and non-drug-resistant cell killing. Besides, it can induce immune activation more persistently in an adjuvant independent manner when compared with simple peptides. Thus, SAP nanomaterial has great potential in regulating cell physiological functions, drug delivery and sensitization, vaccine design and immunotherapy. Not only that, it is also a potential way to focus on some specific proteins and cells through peptides, which has already been examined in previous research. A full understanding of the function and application of SAP nanoparticles can provide a simple and practical strategy for the development of anti-tumor drugs and vaccine design, which contributes to the historical transition of peptide nanohydrogels from bench to bedside and brings as much survival benefits as possible to cancer patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lisheng Zhu
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yangyang Shi
- Department of Orthopedics, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Ying Xiong
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Li Ba
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Qiuting Li
- Division of Gastroenterology, Liyuan Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Mengjun Qiu
- Division of Gastroenterology, Liyuan Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhenwei Zou
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Gang Peng
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
|
20
|
Beheshtirouy S, Mirzaei F, Eyvazi S, Tarhriz V. Recent Advances in Therapeutic Peptides for Breast Cancer Treatment. Curr Protein Pept Sci 2021; 22:74-88. [PMID: 33208071 DOI: 10.2174/1389203721999201117123616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Breast cancer is a heterogeneous malignancy and is the second leading cause of mortality among women around the world. Increasing the resistance to anti-cancer drugs in breast cancer cells persuades researchers to search the novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of this malignancy. Among the novel methods, therapeutic peptides that target and disrupt tumor cells have been of great interest. Therapeutic peptides are short amino acid monomer chains with high specificity to bind and modulate a protein interaction of interest. Several advantages of peptides, such as specific binding on tumor cells surface, low molecular weight, and low toxicity on normal cells, make the peptides appealing therapeutic agents against solid tumors, particularly breast cancer. Also, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) describes therapeutic peptides as a suitable candidate for the treatment of drug-resistant breast cancer. In this review, we attempt to review the different therapeutic peptides against breast cancer cells that can be used in the treatment and diagnosis of the malignancy. Meanwhile, we presented an overview of peptide vaccines that have been developed for the treatment of breast cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Samad Beheshtirouy
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Imam Reza Hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Farhad Mirzaei
- Department of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Shirin Eyvazi
- Department of Biology, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Vahideh Tarhriz
- Molecular Medicine Research Center, Biomedicine Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Abstract
Breast cancer, as a heterogeneous disease, includes a wide range of pathological and clinical behaviors. Current treatment protocols, including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and hormone replacement therapy, are mainly associated with poor response and high rate of recurrence. Therefore, more efforts are needed to develop alternative therapies for this type of cancer. Immunotherapy, as a novel strategy in cancer treatment, has a potential in treating breast cancer patients. Although breast cancer has long been considered problematic to treat with immunotherapy, as it is immunologically "cold," numerous newer preclinical and clinical reports now recommend that immunotherapy has the capability to treat breast cancer patients. In this review, we highlight the different immunotherapy strategies in breast cancer treatment.
Collapse
|
22
|
Liu W, Tang H, Li L, Wang X, Yu Z, Li J. Peptide-based therapeutic cancer vaccine: Current trends in clinical application. Cell Prolif 2021; 54:e13025. [PMID: 33754407 PMCID: PMC8088465 DOI: 10.1111/cpr.13025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Revised: 02/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The peptide‐based therapeutic cancer vaccines have attracted enormous attention in recent years as one of the effective treatments of tumour immunotherapy. Most of peptide‐based vaccines are based on epitope peptides stimulating CD8+ T cells or CD4+ T helper cells to target tumour‐associated antigens (TAAs) or tumour‐specific antigens (TSAs). Some adjuvants and nanomaterials have been exploited to optimize the efficiency of immune response of the epitope peptide to improve its clinical application. At present, numerous peptide‐based therapeutic cancer vaccines have been developed and achieved significant clinical benefits. Similarly, the combination of peptide‐based vaccines and other therapies has demonstrated a superior efficacy in improving anti‐cancer activity. We delve deeper into the choices of targets, design and screening of epitope peptides, clinical efficacy and adverse events of peptide‐based vaccines, and strategies combination of peptide‐based therapeutic cancer vaccines and other therapies. The review will provide a detailed overview and basis for future clinical application of peptide‐based therapeutic cancer vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wensi Liu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.,Liaoning Key Laboratory of molecular targeted anti-tumor drug development and evaluation, Liaoning Cancer immune peptide drug Engineering Technology Research Center, Shenyang, China
| | - Haichao Tang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.,Liaoning Key Laboratory of molecular targeted anti-tumor drug development and evaluation, Liaoning Cancer immune peptide drug Engineering Technology Research Center, Shenyang, China
| | - Luanfeng Li
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.,Liaoning Key Laboratory of molecular targeted anti-tumor drug development and evaluation, Liaoning Cancer immune peptide drug Engineering Technology Research Center, Shenyang, China
| | - Xiangyi Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.,Liaoning Key Laboratory of molecular targeted anti-tumor drug development and evaluation, Liaoning Cancer immune peptide drug Engineering Technology Research Center, Shenyang, China
| | - Zhaojin Yu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.,Liaoning Key Laboratory of molecular targeted anti-tumor drug development and evaluation, Liaoning Cancer immune peptide drug Engineering Technology Research Center, Shenyang, China
| | - Jianping Li
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.,Transfusion Medicine Institute, Liaoning Blood Center, Shenyang, China.,Transfusion Medicine Institute, Harbin Blood Center, Harbin, China
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Dirk BS, Weir G, Quinton T, Hrytsenko O, Stanford MM. Combination of a T cell activating therapy and anti-phosphatidylserine enhances anti-tumour immune responses in a HPV16 E7-expressing C3 tumour model. Sci Rep 2021; 11:4502. [PMID: 33627686 PMCID: PMC7904807 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82108-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
DPX is a novel delivery platform that generates targeted CD8 + T cells and drives antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells into tumours. Cancer cells upregulate phosphatidylserine (PS) on the cell surface as a mechanism to induce an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Development of anti-PS targeting antibodies have highlighted the ability of a PS-blockade to enhance tumour control by T cells by releasing immunosuppression. Here, C57BL/6 mice were implanted with HPV16 E7 target-expressing C3 tumours and subjected to low dose intermittent cyclophosphamide (CPA) in combination with DPX-R9F treatment targeting an E7 antigen with and without anti-PS and/or anti-PD-1 targeting antibodies. Immune responses were assessed via IFN-γ ELISPOT assay and the tumour microenvironment was further analyzed using RT-qPCR. We show that the combination of DPX-R9F and PS-targeting antibodies with and without anti-PD-1 demonstrated increased efficacy compared to untreated controls. All treatments containing DPX-R9F led to T cell activation as assessed by IFN-γ ELISPOT. Furthermore, DPX-R9F/anti-PS treatment significantly elevated cytotoxic T cells, macrophages and dendritic cells based on RT-qPCR analysis. Overall, our data indicates that anti-tumour responses are driven through a variety of immune cells within this model and highlights the need to investigate combination therapies which increase tumour immune infiltration, such as anti-phosphotidylserine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Marianne M Stanford
- IMV Inc, Dartmouth, NS, Canada.
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
HASHEMZADEH P, GHORBANZADEH V, DARIUSHNEJAD H. Predicted peptide-based MHC-I, MHC-II, CTL and B-cell epitopes of MUC-1 by immunoinformatics methods: a clue for novel multi-epitope vaccine development against breast cancer. MINERVA BIOTECNOL 2021. [DOI: 10.23736/s1120-4826.19.02598-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
|
25
|
Gu Y, Li T, Kapoor A, Major P, Tang D. Contactin 1: An Important and Emerging Oncogenic Protein Promoting Cancer Progression and Metastasis. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:E874. [PMID: 32752094 PMCID: PMC7465769 DOI: 10.3390/genes11080874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Even with recent progress, cancer remains the second leading cause of death, outlining a need to widen the current understanding on oncogenic factors. Accumulating evidence from recent years suggest Contactin 1 (CNTN1)'s possession of multiple oncogenic activities in a variety of cancer types. CNTN1 is a cell adhesion molecule that is dysregulated in many human carcinomas and plays important roles in cancer progression and metastases. Abnormalities in CNTN1 expression associate with cancer progression and poor prognosis. Mechanistically, CNTN1 functions in various signaling pathways frequently altered in cancer, such as the vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGFC)-VEGF receptor 3 (VEFGR3)/fms-related tyrosine kinase 4 (Flt4) axis, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT), Notch signaling pathway and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. These oncogenic events are resulted via interactions between tumor and stroma, which can be contributed by CNTN1, an adhesion protein. CNTN1 expression in breast cancer correlates with the expression of genes functioning in cancer-stroma interactions and skeletal system development. Evidence supports that CNTN1 promotes cancer-stromal interaction, resulting in activation of a complex network required for cancer progression and metastasis (bone metastasis for breast cancer). CNTN1 inhibitions has been proven to be effective in experimental models to reduce oncogenesis. In this paper, we will review CNTN1's alterations in cancer, its main biochemical mechanisms and interactions with its relevant cancer pathways.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yan Gu
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
- The Research Institute of St Joe's Hamilton, St. Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada
- Urological Cancer Center for Research and Innovation (UCCRI), St. Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada
| | - Taosha Li
- Life-Tech Industry Alliance, Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Anil Kapoor
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
- The Research Institute of St Joe's Hamilton, St. Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada
- Urological Cancer Center for Research and Innovation (UCCRI), St. Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada
- Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Pierre Major
- Department of Oncology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Damu Tang
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
- The Research Institute of St Joe's Hamilton, St. Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada
- Urological Cancer Center for Research and Innovation (UCCRI), St. Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, ON L8N 4A6, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Advances in Anti-Cancer Immunotherapy: Car-T Cell, Checkpoint Inhibitors, Dendritic Cell Vaccines, and Oncolytic Viruses, and Emerging Cellular and Molecular Targets. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12071826. [PMID: 32645977 PMCID: PMC7408985 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12071826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Revised: 06/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Unlike traditional cancer therapies, such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy that are typically non-specific, cancer immunotherapy harnesses the high specificity of a patient’s own immune system to selectively kill cancer cells. The immune system is the body’s main cancer surveillance system, but cancers may evade destruction thanks to various immune-suppressing mechanisms. We therefore need to deploy various immunotherapy-based strategies to help bolster the anti-tumour immune responses. These include engineering T cells to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) to specifically recognise tumour neoantigens, inactivating immune checkpoints, oncolytic viruses and dendritic cell (DC) vaccines, which have all shown clinical benefit in certain cancers. However, treatment efficacy remains poor due to drug-induced adverse events and immunosuppressive tendencies of the tumour microenvironment. Recent preclinical studies have unveiled novel therapies such as anti-cathepsin antibodies, galectin-1 blockade and anti-OX40 agonistic antibodies, which may be utilised as adjuvant therapies to modulate the tumour microenvironment and permit more ferocious anti-tumour immune response.
Collapse
|
27
|
Jain S, Kumar S. Cancer immunotherapy: dawn of the death of cancer? Int Rev Immunol 2020; 39:1-18. [PMID: 32530336 DOI: 10.1080/08830185.2020.1775827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2019] [Revised: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Cancer is one of the proficient evaders of the immune system which claims millions of lives every year. Developing therapeutics against cancer is extremely challenging as cancer involves aberrations in self, most of which are not detected by the immune system. Conventional therapeutics like chemotherapy, radiotherapy are not only toxic but they significantly lower the quality of life. Immunotherapy, which gained momentum in the 20th century, is emerging as one of the alternatives to the conventional therapies and is relatively less harmful but more costly. This review explores the modern advances in an array of such therapies and try to compare them along with a limited analysis of concerns associated with them.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sidhant Jain
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Sahil Kumar
- Department of Pharmacology, Maulana Azad Medical College and Lok Nayak Hospital, New Delhi, India
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Bauer TV, Tregubchak TV, Maksyutov AZ, Kolosova IV, Maksyutov RA, Gavrilova EV. [Development of the drug oncolytic immunotherapy based on vaccinia viruses (Vaccinia virus, Orthopoxvirus, Chordopoxvirinae, Poxviridae) against breast cancer.]. Vopr Virusol 2020; 65:49-56. [PMID: 32496721 DOI: 10.36233/0507-4088-2020-65-1-49-56] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Currently, new directions in cancer therapy are actively developing, one of which is oncolytic immunotherapy. This approach would be to use of viruses as cancer specific cytolytic agents capable of stimulating both the tumor-specific and non-specific immune response. The objective paper was obtain a recombinant vaccinia virus containing genes encoding immunostimulating molecules and study oncolytic and immunostimulating properties of recombinant virus. MATERIAL AND METHODS MTT test, ELISA, methods of transient dominant selection. RESULTS The recombinant vaccinia virus (L-IVP_oncoB) were obtained with deletion of the gene encoding thymidine kinase and had an integrated gene encoding GM-CSF. Also the virus have deletion of the gene encoding viral growth factor and integrated genes encoding synthetic tumor-specific polyepitopic immunogens. It was shown that the modifications made to the viral genome did not affect the growth characteristics of the virus when cultured on CV-1 and 4647 cell cultures, and the cytopathogenic efficacy of the virus was determined in relation to cancer cultures of cells of various genesis. In in vivo experiment, it was revealed that the polyepitopic construct in the genome L-IVP_oncoB is able to initiate a change in the profile of cytokines. DISCUSSION The obtained data characterized L-IVP_oncoB as a promising cytopathogenic and immunostimulating agent and showed the need for further study of its properties as means of oncolytic immunotherapy. CONCLUSION The basic experiments on the evaluation of the biological properties of the obtained L-IVP_oncoB, which are necessary for the characterization of the oncolytic virus, have been carried out.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- T V Bauer
- State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology «Vector», Koltsovo, Novosibirsk Region, 630559, Russia
| | - T V Tregubchak
- State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology «Vector», Koltsovo, Novosibirsk Region, 630559, Russia
| | - A Z Maksyutov
- State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology «Vector», Koltsovo, Novosibirsk Region, 630559, Russia
| | - I V Kolosova
- State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology «Vector», Koltsovo, Novosibirsk Region, 630559, Russia
| | - R A Maksyutov
- State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology «Vector», Koltsovo, Novosibirsk Region, 630559, Russia
| | - E V Gavrilova
- State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology «Vector», Koltsovo, Novosibirsk Region, 630559, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Safavi A, Kefayat A, Mahdevar E, Ghahremani F, Nezafat N, Modarressi MH. Efficacy of co-immunization with the DNA and peptide vaccines containing SYCP1 and ACRBP epitopes in a murine triple-negative breast cancer model. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2020; 17:22-34. [PMID: 32497486 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2020.1763693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiepitope cancer vaccines have gained lots of attention for prophylactic and therapeutic purposes in cancer patients. In our previous study, multiepitope DNA and peptide cancer vaccines consisted of the most immunodominant epitopes of ACRBP and SYCP1 antigens were designed by bioinformatic tools. In this study, the effect of prophylactic co-immunization with these DNA and peptide cancer vaccines in the 4T1 breast cancer animal model was assessed. Serum levels of the peptide-specific IgG total, IgG2a and IgG1 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Also, the efficacy of the immunized mice splenocytes' for producing interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) was evaluated. The co-immunization caused a significant (P < .05) increase in the serum levels of IgG1 and IgG2a. The co-immunized mice splenocytes exhibited significantly enhanced IL-4 (6.6-fold) and IFN-γ (19-fold) production. Also, their lymphocytes exhibited higher proliferation rate (3-fold) and granzyme B production (6.5-fold) in comparison with the control. The prophylactic co-immunization significantly decreased the breast tumors' volume (78%) and increased the tumor-bearing mice survival time (37.5%) in comparison with the control. Taking together, prophylactic co-immunization with these multiepitope DNA and peptide cancer vaccines can activate the immune system against breast cancer. However, further experiments are needed to evaluate their efficacy from different angles.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ashkan Safavi
- Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University , Tehran, Iran
| | - Amirhosein Kefayat
- Department of Oncology, Cancer Prevention Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences , Isfahan, Iran
| | - Elham Mahdevar
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Science and Arts University , Yazd, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Ghahremani
- Department of Medical Physics and Radiotherapy, Arak School of Paramedicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences , Arak, Iran
| | - Navid Nezafat
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences , Shiraz, Iran
| | | |
Collapse
|
30
|
Ma M, Liu J, Jin S, Wang L. Development of tumour peptide vaccines: From universalization to personalization. Scand J Immunol 2020; 91:e12875. [PMID: 32090366 DOI: 10.1111/sji.12875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Revised: 02/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, relying on the human immune system to kill tumour cells has become an effective means of cancer treatment. The development of peptide vaccines, which not only break the immune tolerance of a tumour but also attack malignant cells via specific antitumour immunity, has received increased attention in tumour immunization therapy due to their safety and easy preparation. The use of large-scale sequencing technology enables the continuous discovery of new tumour antigens. With improved accuracy of epitope prediction by computer simulation and the usage of a tetramer assay, cytotoxic lymphocyte epitopes can be screened and identified more easily. Transmembrane peptide and nanoparticle technologies promote more effective intake and delivery of antigens. Consequently, considerable evolution from universal to personalized peptide vaccines has taken place, and such vaccines induce an efficient and specific immune response targeting tumour neoantigens. Recently, genomic analysis and bioinformatics approaches have greatly facilitated the breakthrough of personalized peptide vaccines targeting neoantigens, resulting in a renewed interest in this field. Further, the combination of tumour peptide vaccines with checkpoint blockades may improve patient outcomes. In this review, we discuss the development of tumour peptide vaccines and the new technological progress, from universalization to personalization, to highlight the substantial promise of tumour peptide vaccines in clinical cancer immunotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Minjun Ma
- Department of Gastrology, The First People's Hospital of Fuyang of Hangzhou, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jingwen Liu
- Laboratory of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shenghang Jin
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lan Wang
- Linhai Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Linhai, China
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Song C, Li F, Wang S, Wang J, Wei W, Ma G. Recent Advances in Particulate Adjuvants for Cancer Vaccination. ADVANCED THERAPEUTICS 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/adtp.201900115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cui Song
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical EngineeringInstitute of Process EngineeringChinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100190 P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 P. R. China
| | - Feng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical EngineeringInstitute of Process EngineeringChinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100190 P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 P. R. China
| | - Shuang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical EngineeringInstitute of Process EngineeringChinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100190 P. R. China
| | - Jianghua Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical EngineeringInstitute of Process EngineeringChinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100190 P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 P. R. China
| | - Wei Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical EngineeringInstitute of Process EngineeringChinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100190 P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 P. R. China
| | - Guanghui Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Biochemical EngineeringInstitute of Process EngineeringChinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100190 P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049 P. R. China
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Safavi A, Kefayat A, Abiri A, Mahdevar E, Behnia AH, Ghahremani F. In silico analysis of transmembrane protein 31 (TMEM31) antigen to design novel multiepitope peptide and DNA cancer vaccines against melanoma. Mol Immunol 2019; 112:93-102. [PMID: 31079006 DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2019.04.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Revised: 04/25/2019] [Accepted: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Multiepitope cancer vaccines are announcing themselves as the future of melanoma treatment. Herein, high immunogenic regions of transmembrane protein 31 (TMEM31) antigen were selected according to cytotoxic T lymphocytes' (CTL) epitopes and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) binding affinity through in silico analyses. The 32-62, 77-105, and 125-165 residues of the TMEM31 were selected as the immunodominant fragments. They were linked together by RVRR and HEYGAEALERAG motifs to improve epitopes separation and presentation. In addition, to activate helper T lymphocytes (HTL), Pan HLA DR-binding epitope (PADRE) peptide sequence and tetanus toxin fragment C (TTFrC) were incorporated into the final construct. Also, the Beta-defensin conserved domain was utilized in the final construct as a novel adjuvant for Toll-like receptor 4/myeloid differentiation factor (TLR4-MD) activation. The CTL epitopes, cleavage sites, post-translational modifications, TAP transport efficiency, and B cells epitopes were predicted for the peptide vaccine. The final construct contained multiple CTL and B cell epitopes. In addition, it showed 93.55% and 99.13% population coverage in the world for HLA I and HLA II, respectively. According to these preliminary results, the multiepitope cancer vaccine can be an appropriate choice for further experimental investigations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ashkan Safavi
- Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Amirhosein Kefayat
- Department of Oncology, Cancer Prevention Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
| | - Ardavan Abiri
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | - Elham Mahdevar
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Science and Arts University, Yazd, Iran
| | - Amir Hossein Behnia
- Department of Biology, Faculty of the Basic Sciences, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Ghahremani
- Department of Medical Physics and Radiotherapy, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
In Silico Analysis of Synaptonemal Complex Protein 1 (SYCP1) and Acrosin Binding Protein (ACRBP) Antigens to Design Novel Multiepitope Peptide Cancer Vaccine Against Breast Cancer. Int J Pept Res Ther 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10989-018-9780-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
|
34
|
Brooks N, Hsu J, Esparon S, Pouniotis D, Pietersz GA. Immunogenicity of a Tripartite Cell Penetrating Peptide Containing a MUC1 Variable Number of Tandem Repeat (VNTR) and A T Helper Epitope. Molecules 2018; 23:molecules23092233. [PMID: 30200528 PMCID: PMC6225367 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23092233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2018] [Revised: 08/29/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptide-based vaccines for cancer have many advantages however, for optimization these immunogens should incorporate peptide epitopes that induce CD8, as well as CD4 responses, antibody and long term immunity. Cell penetrating peptides (CPP) with a capacity of cytosolic delivery have been used to deliver antigenic peptides and proteins to antigen presenting cells to induce cytotoxic T cell, helper T cell and humoral responses in mice. For this study, a tripartite CPP including a mucin 1 (MUC1) variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) containing multiple T cell epitopes and tetanus toxoid universal T helper epitope peptide (tetCD4) was synthesised (AntpMAPMUC1tet) and immune responses investigated in mice. Mice vaccinated with AntpMAPMUC1tet + CpG show enhanced antigen-specific interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and IL-4 T cell responses compared with AntpMAPMUC1tet vaccination alone and induced a Th1 response, characterised by a higher ratio of IgG2a antibody/IgG1 antibodies. Furthermore, vaccination generated long term MUC1-specific antibody and T cell responses and delayed growth of MUC1+ve tumours in mice. This data demonstrates the efficient delivery of branched multiple antigen peptides incorporating CPP and that the addition of CpG augments immune responses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Brooks
- School of Medical Sciences, RMIT University, Plenty Road, Bundoora 3083, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Jennifer Hsu
- Bio-Organic and Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Rd, Melbourne 3004, Australia.
- Dendritic Cell Biology and Therapeutics Group, ANZAC Medical Research Institute, Institute of Haematology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Missenden Rd, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia.
| | - Sandra Esparon
- Bio-Organic and Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Rd, Melbourne 3004, Australia.
| | - Dodie Pouniotis
- School of Medical Sciences, RMIT University, Plenty Road, Bundoora 3083, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Geoffrey A Pietersz
- Bio-Organic and Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Rd, Melbourne 3004, Australia.
- Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
- Department of Immunology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
- Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne 3004, Australia.
- College of Health and Biomedicine, Victoria University, Melbourne 3021, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Jiang Y, Mei W, Gu Y, Lin X, He L, Zeng H, Wei F, Wan X, Yang H, Major P, Tang D. Construction of a set of novel and robust gene expression signatures predicting prostate cancer recurrence. Mol Oncol 2018; 12:1559-1578. [PMID: 30024105 PMCID: PMC6120243 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.12359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2018] [Revised: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
We report here numerous novel genes and multiple new signatures which robustly predict prostate cancer (PC) recurrence. We extracted 696 differentially expressed genes relative to a reported PC signature from the TCGA dataset (n = 492) and built a 15‐gene signature (SigMuc1NW) using Elastic‐net with 10‐fold cross‐validation through analyzing their expressions at 1.5 standard deviation/SD below and 2 SD above a population mean. SigMuc1NW predicts biochemical recurrence (BCR) following surgery with 56.4% sensitivity, 72.6% specificity, and 63.24 median months disease free (MMDF) (P = 1.12e‐12). The prediction accuracy is improved with the use of SigMuc1NW's cutpoint (P = 3e‐15) and is further enhanced (sensitivity 67%, specificity 75.7%, MMDF 45.2, P = 0) when all 15 genes were analyzed through their cutpoints instead of their SDs. These genes individually associate with BCR using either SD or cutpoint as the cutoff points. Eight of 15 genes are individual risk factors after adjusting for age at diagnosis, Gleason score, surgical margin, and tumor stage. Eleven of 15 genes are novel to PC. SigMuc1NW discriminates BCR with time‐dependent AUC (tAUC) values of 76.6% at 11.5 months (76.6%–11.5 m), 73.8%‐22.3 m, 78.5%‐32.1 m, and 76.4%–48.4 m. SigMuc1NW is correlated with adverse features of PC, high Gleason scores (odds ratio/OR 1.48, P < 2e‐16), and advanced tumor stages (OR 1.33, P = 4.37e‐13). SigMuc1NW remains an independent risk factor of BCR (HR 2.44, 95% CI 1.53–3.87, P = 1.62e‐4) after adjusting for age at diagnosis, Gleason score, surgical margin, and tumor stage. In an independent PC (MSKCC) cohort (n = 140), these 15 genes were altered in PC vs normal tissue, metastatic PCs vs primary PCs, and recurrent PCs vs nonrecurrent PCs. Importantly, a 10‐gene subsignature SigMuc1NW1 predicts BCR in MSKCC (P = 3.11e‐15) and TCGA (P = 3.13e‐12); SigMuc1NW1 discriminates BCR at 18.4 m with tAUC as 82.5%. Collectively, our analyses support SigMuc1NW as a novel and robust signature in predicting BCR of PC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yanzhi Jiang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsa, Hunan, China.,Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Father Sean O'Sullivan Research Institute, Hamilton, Canada.,The Hamilton Center for Kidney Research, St. Joseph's Hospital, Canada
| | - Wenjuan Mei
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Father Sean O'Sullivan Research Institute, Hamilton, Canada.,The Hamilton Center for Kidney Research, St. Joseph's Hospital, Canada.,Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Jiangxi, China
| | - Yan Gu
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Father Sean O'Sullivan Research Institute, Hamilton, Canada.,The Hamilton Center for Kidney Research, St. Joseph's Hospital, Canada
| | - Xiaozeng Lin
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Father Sean O'Sullivan Research Institute, Hamilton, Canada.,The Hamilton Center for Kidney Research, St. Joseph's Hospital, Canada
| | - Lizhi He
- Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hui Zeng
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Father Sean O'Sullivan Research Institute, Hamilton, Canada.,The Hamilton Center for Kidney Research, St. Joseph's Hospital, Canada.,Department of Thoracic Surgery, Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang City, China
| | - Fengxiang Wei
- The Genetics Laboratory, Longgang District Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Xinhong Wan
- The Genetics Laboratory, Longgang District Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Huixiang Yang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsa, Hunan, China
| | - Pierre Major
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Oncology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Damu Tang
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,Father Sean O'Sullivan Research Institute, Hamilton, Canada.,The Hamilton Center for Kidney Research, St. Joseph's Hospital, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Parvizpour S, Razmara J, Omidi Y. Breast cancer vaccination comes to age: impacts of bioinformatics. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 8:223-235. [PMID: 30211082 PMCID: PMC6128970 DOI: 10.15171/bi.2018.25] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2018] [Revised: 04/02/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
![]()
Introduction: Breast cancer, as one of the major causes of cancer death among women, is the central focus of this study. The recent advances in the development and application of computational tools and bioinformatics in the field of immunotherapy of malignancies such as breast cancer have emerged the new dominion of immunoinformatics, and therefore, next generation of immunomedicines .
Methods: Having reviewed the most recent works on the applications of computational tools, we provide comprehensive insights into the breast cancer incidence and its leading causes as well as immunotherapy approaches and the future trends. Furthermore, we discuss the impacts of bioinformatics on different stages of vaccine design for the breast cancer, which can be used to produce much more efficient vaccines through a rationalized time- and cost-effective in silico approaches prior to conducting costly experiments.
Results: The tools can be significantly used for designing the immune system-modulating drugs and vaccines based on in silico approaches prior to in vitro and in vivo experimental evaluations. Application of immunoinformatics in the cancer immunotherapy has shown its success in the pre-clinical models. This success returns back to the impacts of several powerful computational approaches developed during the last decade.
Conclusion: Despite the invention of a number of vaccines for the cancer immunotherapy, more computational and clinical trials are required to design much more efficient vaccines against various malignancies, including breast cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sepideh Parvizpour
- Research Center for Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, Biomedicine Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Jafar Razmara
- Department of Computer Science, Faculty of mathematical Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Yadollah Omidi
- Research Center for Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, Biomedicine Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.,Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Abstract
Purpose of Review The breast tumor microenvironment is immunosuppressive and is increasingly recognized to play a significant role in tumorigenesis. A deeper understanding of normal and aberrant interactions between malignant and immune cells has allowed researchers to harness the immune system with novel immunotherapy strategies, many of which have shown promise in breast cancer. This review discusses the application of immunotherapy to the treatment of breast cancer. Recent Findings Both basic science and clinical trial data are rapidly developing in the use of immunotherapy for breast cancer. The current clinical trial landscape includes therapeutic vaccines, immune checkpoint blockade, antibodies, cytokines, and adoptive cell therapy. Summary Despite early failures, the application of immunotherapeutic strategies to the treatment of breast cancer holds promise.
Collapse
|
38
|
Lin X, Gu Y, Kapoor A, Wei F, Aziz T, Ojo D, Jiang Y, Bonert M, Shayegan B, Yang H, Al-Nedawi K, Major P, Tang D. Overexpression of MUC1 and Genomic Alterations in Its Network Associate with Prostate Cancer Progression. Neoplasia 2017; 19:857-867. [PMID: 28930697 PMCID: PMC5605493 DOI: 10.1016/j.neo.2017.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2017] [Revised: 06/21/2017] [Accepted: 06/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigate the association of MUC1 with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), bone metastasis, and PC recurrence. MUC1 expression was studied in patient-derived bone metastasis and CRPCs produced by prostate-specific PTEN−/− mice and LNCaP xenografts. Elevations in MUC1 expression occur in CRPC. Among nine patients with hormone-naïve bone metastasis, eight express MUC1 in 61% to 100% of PC cells. Utilizing cBioPortal PC genomic data, we organized a training (n = 300), testing (n = 185), and validation (n = 194) cohort. Using the Cox model, a nine-gene signature was derived, including eight genes from a MUC1-related network (APC, CTNNB1/β-catenin, GALNT10, GRB2, LYN, SIGLEC1, SOS1, and ZAP70) and FAM84B. Genomic alterations in these genes reduce disease-free survival (DFS) in the training (P = .00161), testing (P = .00699), entire (training + testing, P = 5.557e-5), and a validation cohort (P = 3.326e-5). The signature independently predicts PC recurrence [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.731; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.104-2.712; P = .0167] after adjusting for known clinical factors and stratifies patients with high risk of PC recurrence using the median (HR 2.072; 95% CI: 1.245-3.450, P = .0051) and quartile 3 (HR 3.707, 95% CI: 1.949-7.052, P = 6.51e-5) scores. Several novel β-catenin mutants are identified in PCs leading to a rapid onset of death and recurrence. Genomic alterations in APC and CTNNB1/β-catenin reduce DFS in two independent PC cohorts (n = 485, P = .0369; n = 84, P = .0437). The nine-gene signature also associates with reductions in overall survival (P = .0458) and DFS (P = .0163) in melanoma patients (n = 367). MUC1 upregulation is associated with CRPC and bone metastasis. A nine-gene signature derived from a MUC1 network predicts PC recurrence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaozeng Lin
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University; Father Sean O'Sullivan Research Institute; Hamilton Center for Kidney Research, St. Joseph's Hospital
| | - Yan Gu
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University; Father Sean O'Sullivan Research Institute; Hamilton Center for Kidney Research, St. Joseph's Hospital
| | - Anil Kapoor
- Father Sean O'Sullivan Research Institute; Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Fengxiang Wei
- Genetics Laboratory, Longgang District Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital, Longgang District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, PR China
| | - Tariq Aziz
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Diane Ojo
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University; Father Sean O'Sullivan Research Institute; Hamilton Center for Kidney Research, St. Joseph's Hospital
| | - Yanzhi Jiang
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University; Father Sean O'Sullivan Research Institute; Hamilton Center for Kidney Research, St. Joseph's Hospital; Department of Gastroenterology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsa, Hunan, PR China
| | - Michael Bonert
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Bobby Shayegan
- Father Sean O'Sullivan Research Institute; Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Huixiang Yang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsa, Hunan, PR China.
| | - Khalid Al-Nedawi
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University; Father Sean O'Sullivan Research Institute; Hamilton Center for Kidney Research, St. Joseph's Hospital
| | - Pierre Major
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Oncology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Damu Tang
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University; Father Sean O'Sullivan Research Institute; Hamilton Center for Kidney Research, St. Joseph's Hospital.
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Gatti-Mays ME, Redman JM, Collins JM, Bilusic M. Cancer vaccines: Enhanced immunogenic modulation through therapeutic combinations. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2017; 13:2561-2574. [PMID: 28857666 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2017.1364322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic cancer vaccines have gained significant popularity in recent years as new approaches for specific oncologic indications emerge. Three therapeutic cancer vaccines are FDA approved and one is currently approved by the EMA as monotherapy with modest treatment effects. Combining therapeutic cancer vaccines with other treatment modalities like radiotherapy (RT), hormone therapy, immunotherapy, and/or chemotherapy have been investigated as a means to enhance immune response and treatment efficacy. There is growing preclinical and clinical data that combination of checkpoint inhibitors and vaccines can induce immunogenic intensification with favorable outcomes. Additionally, novel methods for identifying targetable neoantigens hold promise for personalized vaccine development. In this article, we review the rationale for various therapeutic combinations, clinical trial experiences, and future directions. We also highlight the most promising developments that could lead to approval of novel therapeutic cancer vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Margaret E Gatti-Mays
- a Medical Oncology Branch , National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - Jason M Redman
- a Medical Oncology Branch , National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - Julie M Collins
- a Medical Oncology Branch , National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - Marijo Bilusic
- b Genitourinary Malignancy Branch , National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health , Bethesda , MD , USA
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Sennikov SV, Khantakova JN, Kulikova EV, Obleukhova IA, Shevchenko JA. Modern strategies and capabilities for activation of the immune response against tumor cells. Tumour Biol 2017; 39:1010428317698380. [PMID: 28513301 DOI: 10.1177/1010428317698380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Dendritic cells are professional antigen-presenting cells and the most potent stimulators of various immune responses, such as antitumor responses. Modern studies have not shown an effective antitumor immune response development in patients with malignant tumors. The major cause is the decrease in functional activity of dendritic cells in cancer patients through irregularities in the maturation process to a functionally active form and in the antigen presentation process to naive T lymphocytes. This review describes the main stages of cellular antitumor immune response induction in vitro, aimed at resolving the problems that are blocking the full functioning of dendritic cells, and additional stimulation of antitumor immune response.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sergey Vital'evich Sennikov
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "Research Institute of Fundamental and Clinical Immunology," Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Julia Nikolaevna Khantakova
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "Research Institute of Fundamental and Clinical Immunology," Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Ekaterina Vladimirovna Kulikova
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "Research Institute of Fundamental and Clinical Immunology," Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Irina Alexandrovna Obleukhova
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "Research Institute of Fundamental and Clinical Immunology," Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Julia Alexandrovna Shevchenko
- Department of Molecular Immunology, Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "Research Institute of Fundamental and Clinical Immunology," Novosibirsk, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Moreno Ayala MA, Gottardo MF, Asad AS, Zuccato C, Nicola A, Seilicovich A, Candolfi M. Immunotherapy for the treatment of breast cancer. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2017; 17:797-812. [PMID: 28446053 DOI: 10.1080/14712598.2017.1324566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Breast cancer is the most common cancer as well as the first cause of death by cancer in women worldwide. Although routine treatment improves the outcome of early stage breast cancer patients, there is no effective therapy for the disseminated disease. Immunotherapy has emerged as a powerful therapeutic strategy for the treatment of many cancers. Although traditionally conceived as a non-immunogenic tumor, breast cancer is now considered a potential target for immunotherapy. Areas covered: In this review, the authors discuss different immunotherapeutic strategies that are currently being tested for the treatment of breast cancer: These strategies include: (i) blockade of immunological checkpoints, (ii) antitumor vaccines, (iii) regulatory T cell blockade, (iv) adoptive T cell transfer therapy, (iv) adoptive immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, and (v) combination of immunotherapy with chemotherapy. Expert opinion: A growing body of evidence indicates that immunotherapeutic strategies can benefit a larger cohort of breast cancer patients than hitherto anticipated. Since breast tumors entail multiple mechanisms to impair antitumor immunity, the immunological characterization of individual tumors and the selection of suitable combinations of chemotherapeutic and immunotherapeutic approaches are required to achieve significant clinical benefit in these patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mariela A Moreno Ayala
- a Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (INBIOMED-CONICET/UBA), Facultad de Medicina , Universidad de Buenos Aires , Buenos Aires , Argentina
| | - Maria Florencia Gottardo
- a Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (INBIOMED-CONICET/UBA), Facultad de Medicina , Universidad de Buenos Aires , Buenos Aires , Argentina
| | - Antonela S Asad
- a Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (INBIOMED-CONICET/UBA), Facultad de Medicina , Universidad de Buenos Aires , Buenos Aires , Argentina
| | - Camila Zuccato
- a Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (INBIOMED-CONICET/UBA), Facultad de Medicina , Universidad de Buenos Aires , Buenos Aires , Argentina
| | - Alejandro Nicola
- a Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (INBIOMED-CONICET/UBA), Facultad de Medicina , Universidad de Buenos Aires , Buenos Aires , Argentina
| | - Adriana Seilicovich
- a Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (INBIOMED-CONICET/UBA), Facultad de Medicina , Universidad de Buenos Aires , Buenos Aires , Argentina
| | - Marianela Candolfi
- a Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas (INBIOMED-CONICET/UBA), Facultad de Medicina , Universidad de Buenos Aires , Buenos Aires , Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Wong N, Major P, Kapoor A, Wei F, Yan J, Aziz T, Zheng M, Jayasekera D, Cutz JC, Chow MJ, Tang D. Amplification of MUC1 in prostate cancer metastasis and CRPC development. Oncotarget 2016; 7:83115-83133. [PMID: 27825118 PMCID: PMC5347757 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.13073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2016] [Accepted: 10/16/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Evidence supports the upregulation of MUC1 in prostate cancer (PC). However, this has not been thoroughly investigated. We report here an association of MUC1 upregulation with PC metastasis and the development of castration resistant PC (CRPC). MUC1 expression was specifically increased in DU145 cell-derived PC stem-like cells (PCSLCs) in comparison to their non-PCSLCs counterparts. While immunohistochemistry staining of 34 primary PCs revealed variability in MUC1 expression, Nanostring technology demonstrated elevated MUC1 mRNA levels in 4 of 7 PCs compared to their normal matched tissues. By analyzing MUC1 mRNA levels and gene copy number (GCN) using the OncomineTM database, elevations in MUC1 mRNA in 82 metastases versus 280 primary PCs and in MUC1 GCN in 37 metastases over 181 primary tumors were demonstrated. Analysis of genomic datasets within cBioPortal revealed increases in MUC1 GCN in 2% (6/333) of primary PCs, 6% (9/150) of metastatic PCs, and 33% (27/82) of CRPCs; in comparison, the respective increase in androgen receptor (AR) GCN was 1%, 63%, and 56%, revealing a specific increase in MUC1 GCN for CRPC. Furthermore, a 25-gene MUC1 network was amplified in 52% of CRPCs compared to 69% of CRPCs displaying increases in an AR co-regulator group. While genomic alterations in the MUC1 network largely overlap with those in the AR group, 18 CRPCs (66.7% being neuroendocrine PC) showed genomic alterations only in the MUC1 network. Moreover, genomic alterations in the MUC1 network correlated with PC relapse. Collectively, our observations suggest a combination therapy involving MUC1-based immunotherapy and androgen deprivation.
Collapse
MESH Headings
- Adenocarcinoma/genetics
- Adenocarcinoma/metabolism
- Adenocarcinoma/secondary
- Adenocarcinoma/therapy
- Aged
- Aged, 80 and over
- Animals
- Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/pharmacology
- Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics
- Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Cell Movement/drug effects
- Computational Biology
- Databases, Genetic
- Disease Progression
- Disease-Free Survival
- Docetaxel
- Gene Amplification
- Gene Dosage
- Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
- Gene Regulatory Networks
- Humans
- Male
- Mice, Inbred NOD
- Mice, SCID
- Middle Aged
- Mucin-1/genetics
- Mucin-1/metabolism
- Neoplastic Stem Cells/drug effects
- Neoplastic Stem Cells/metabolism
- Neoplastic Stem Cells/pathology
- Neuroendocrine Tumors/genetics
- Neuroendocrine Tumors/metabolism
- Neuroendocrine Tumors/secondary
- Neuroendocrine Tumors/therapy
- Prostatic Neoplasms/genetics
- Prostatic Neoplasms/metabolism
- Prostatic Neoplasms/pathology
- Prostatic Neoplasms/therapy
- Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant/genetics
- Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant/metabolism
- Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant/pathology
- Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant/therapy
- RNA, Messenger/genetics
- RNA, Messenger/metabolism
- Receptors, Androgen/metabolism
- Signal Transduction
- Survival Analysis
- Taxoids/pharmacology
- Time Factors
- Up-Regulation
- Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Wong
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Father Sean O'sullivan Research Institute, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- The Hamilton Center for Kidney Research, St. Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Pierre Major
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Oncology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Anil Kapoor
- Father Sean O'sullivan Research Institute, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Fengxiang Wei
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Father Sean O'sullivan Research Institute, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- The Hamilton Center for Kidney Research, St. Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- The Genetics Laboratory, Longgang District Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital, Longgang District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Judy Yan
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Father Sean O'sullivan Research Institute, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- The Hamilton Center for Kidney Research, St. Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tariq Aziz
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mingxing Zheng
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shenzhen 2nd People's Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- Department of Respiratory Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Dulitha Jayasekera
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Father Sean O'sullivan Research Institute, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- The Hamilton Center for Kidney Research, St. Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jean-Claude Cutz
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mathilda Jing Chow
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Father Sean O'sullivan Research Institute, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- The Hamilton Center for Kidney Research, St. Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Damu Tang
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Father Sean O'sullivan Research Institute, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- The Hamilton Center for Kidney Research, St. Joseph's Hospital, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Fry EA, Taneja P, Inoue K. Clinical applications of mouse models for breast cancer engaging HER2/neu. INTEGRATIVE CANCER SCIENCE AND THERAPEUTICS 2016; 3:593-603. [PMID: 28133539 PMCID: PMC5267336 DOI: 10.15761/icst.1000210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Human c-ErbB2 (HER2) has long been used as a marker of breast cancer (BC) for sub-categorization for the prediction of prognosis, and determination of therapeutic strategies. HER2 overexpressing BCs are more invasive/metastatic; but patients respond to monoclonal antibody therapy with trastuzumab or tyrosine kinase inhibitors, at least at early stages. To date, numerous mouse models that faithfully reproduce HER2(+) BCs have been created in mice. We recently reviewed different mouse models of BC overexpressing wild type or mutant neu driven by MMTV, neu, or doxycycline-inducible promoters. These mice have been used to demonstrate the histopathology, oncogenic signaling pathways initiated by aberrant overexpression of HER2 in the mammary epithelium, and interaction between oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes at molecular levels. In this review, we focus on their clinical applications. They can be used to test the efficacy of HER(2) inhibitors before starting clinical trials, characterize the tumor-initiating cells that could be the cause of relapse after therapy as well as to analyze the molecular mechanisms of therapeutic resistance targeting HER2. MMTV-human ErbB2 (HER2) mouse models have recently been established since the monoclonal antibody to HER2 (trastuzumab; Herceptin®) does not recognize the rat neu protein. It has been reported that early intervention with HER2 monoclonal antibody would be beneficial for preventing mammary carcinogenesis. MDA-7/IL-24 as well as naturally-occurring chemicals have also been tested using MMTV-neu models. Recent studies have shown that MMTV-neu models are useful to develop vaccines to HER2 for immunotherapy. The mouse models employing HER2/neu will be essential for future antibody or drug screenings to overcome resistance to trastuzumab or HER(2)-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A. Fry
- The Department of Pathology, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157 USA
| | - Pankaj Taneja
- Department of Biotechnology, Sharda University, Knowledge Park III, Greater Noida 201306, India
| | - Kazushi Inoue
- The Department of Pathology, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157 USA
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Sousa AM, Grandgenett PM, David L, Almeida R, Hollingsworth MA, Santos-Silva F. Reflections on MUC1 glycoprotein: the hidden potential of isoforms in carcinogenesis. APMIS 2016; 124:913-924. [PMID: 27538373 DOI: 10.1111/apm.12587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2016] [Accepted: 07/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Mucin 1 (MUC1) has been described as the renaissance molecule due to the large set of functions it displays in both normal and neoplastic cells. This membrane-tethered glycoprotein is overexpressed and aberrantly glycosylated in most epithelial cancers, being involved in several processes related with malignant phenotype acquisition. With a highly polymorphic structure, both in the polypeptide and glycan counterparts, MUC1 variability has been associated with susceptibility to several diseases, including cancer. Biochemical features and biological functions have been characterized upon the full-length MUC1 protein, remaining to clarify the real impact on cell dynamics of the plethora of MUC1 isoforms. This review aims to encompass a detailed characterization of MUC1 role in carcinogenesis, highlighting recent findings in cell differentiation and uncovering new evidences of MUC1 isoforms involvement in malignant phenotype.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andreia M Sousa
- i3S-Institute of Research and Innovation in Health, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal. .,IPATIMUP-Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Paul M Grandgenett
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Disease, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Leonor David
- i3S-Institute of Research and Innovation in Health, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,IPATIMUP-Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Raquel Almeida
- i3S-Institute of Research and Innovation in Health, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,IPATIMUP-Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | | | - Filipe Santos-Silva
- i3S-Institute of Research and Innovation in Health, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,IPATIMUP-Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Identification of shared TCR sequences from T cells in human breast cancer using emulsion RT-PCR. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:8272-7. [PMID: 27307436 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1606994113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Infiltration of T cells in breast tumors correlates with improved survival of patients with breast cancer, despite relatively few mutations in these tumors. To determine if T-cell specificity can be harnessed to augment immunotherapies of breast cancer, we sought to identify the alpha-beta paired T-cell receptors (TCRs) of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes shared between multiple patients. Because TCRs function as heterodimeric proteins, we used an emulsion-based RT-PCR assay to link and amplify TCR pairs. Using this assay on engineered T-cell hybridomas, we observed ∼85% accurate pairing fidelity, although TCR recovery frequency varied. When we applied this technique to patient samples, we found that for any given TCR pair, the dominant alpha- or beta-binding partner comprised ∼90% of the total binding partners. Analysis of TCR sequences from primary tumors showed about fourfold more overlap in tumor-involved relative to tumor-free sentinel lymph nodes. Additionally, comparison of sequences from both tumors of a patient with bilateral breast cancer showed 10% overlap. Finally, we identified a panel of unique TCRs shared between patients' tumors and peripheral blood that were not found in the peripheral blood of controls. These TCRs encoded a range of V, J, and complementarity determining region 3 (CDR3) sequences on the alpha-chain, and displayed restricted V-beta use. The nucleotides encoding these shared TCR CDR3s varied, suggesting immune selection of this response. Harnessing these T cells may provide practical strategies to improve the shared antigen-specific response to breast cancer.
Collapse
|
46
|
Finn OJ, Beatty PL. Cancer immunoprevention. Curr Opin Immunol 2016; 39:52-8. [PMID: 26799207 DOI: 10.1016/j.coi.2016.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2015] [Revised: 12/29/2015] [Accepted: 01/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy is now a reality. The results are phenomenal but the cost is outrageous. Even if the cost eventually comes down and immunotherapy becomes more broadly available, using the knowledge derived from immunotherapy to apply to immunoprevention would be a good strategy. The most likely approach to cancer immunoprevention is cancer vaccines. To date, cancer vaccines have been tested mostly in the setting of advanced disease. Numerous immunosuppressive mechanisms have been identified in the tumor microenvironment as well as systemically that compromise the ability of cancer patients to respond to the vaccines. Multiple approaches are being tested to improve therapeutic cancer vaccine efficacy, including combinations with other immunotherapies. An alternative approach is to administer the vaccines to individuals without cancer but at high risk for cancer. Data in support of this approach and immunoprevention in general is accumulating and clinical testing has started.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Olivera J Finn
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
| | - Pamela L Beatty
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| |
Collapse
|