Anti-angiogenic activity of VXM01, an oral T-cell vaccine against VEGF receptor 2, in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer: A randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 1 trial

Obacunone potentiated PD-1 immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer by mediating CD36

Chemotherapy for patients with pancreatic cancer typically has a poor prognosis. Immunotherapy is currently a hot therapeutical approach to treat tumors. Various studies have shown that natural products have numerous activities, especially in the anti-tumor field. The triterpenoid class compound Obacunone has been shown to have various bioactivities, including anti-cancer properties. In this study, combining Obacunone with anti-PD-1 to treat pancreatic cancer in mice enhanced the anti-cancer activity of anti-PD-1 and suppressed tumor growth significantly. Proteomic analysis, immunofluorescence, Western blot, and flow cytometry revealed that this combination of compounds modulated the CD36-mediated PPAR signaling pathway to improve the infiltration and number of immune-associated CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in tumors. This report provides a new strategy for discovering immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer.

Dysbiosis-NK Cell Crosstalk in Pancreatic Cancer: Toward a Unified Biomarker Signature for Improved Clinical Outcomes

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive cancer with poor prognosis, primarily due to its immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), which contributes to treatment resistance. Recent research shows that the microbiome, including microbial communities in the oral cavity, gut, bile duct, and intratumoral environments, plays a key role in PDAC development, with microbial imbalances (dysbiosis) promoting inflammation, cancer progression, therapy resistance, and treatment side effects. Microbial metabolites can also affect immune cells, especially natural killer (NK) cells, which are vital for tumor surveillance, therapy response and treatment-related side effects. Dysbiosis can affect NK cell function, leading to resistance and side effects. We propose that a combined biomarker approach, integrating microbiome composition and NK cell profiles, can help predict treatment resistance and side effects, enabling more personalized therapies. This review examines how dysbiosis contributes to NK cell dysfunction in PDAC and discusses strategies (e.g., antibiotics, probiotics, vaccines) to modulate the microbiome and enhance NK cell function. Targeting dysbiosis could modulate NK cell activity, improve the effectiveness of PDAC treatments, and reduce side effects. However, further research is needed to develop unified NK cell-microbiome interaction-based biomarkers for more precise and effective patient outcomes.

DNA vaccines as promising immuno-therapeutics against cancer: a new insight

Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality around the world and most of our conventional treatments are not efficient enough to combat this deadly disease. Harnessing the power of the immune system to target cancer cells is one of the most appealing methods for cancer therapy. Nucleotide-based cancer vaccines, especially deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) cancer vaccines are viable novel cancer treatments that have recently garnered significant attention. DNA cancer vaccines are made of plasmid molecules that encode tumor-associated or tumor-specific antigens (TAAs or TSAs), and possibly some other immunomodulatory adjuvants such as pro-inflammatory interleukins. Following the internalization of plasmids into cells, their genes are expressed and the tumor antigens are loaded on major histocompatibility molecules to be presented to T-cells. After the T-cells have been activated, they will look for tumor antigens and destroy the tumor cells upon encountering them. As with any other treatment, there are pros and cons associated with using these vaccines. They are relatively safe, usually well-tolerated, stable, easily mass-produced, cost-effective, and easily stored and transported. They can induce a systemic immune response effective on both the primary tumor and metastases. The main disadvantage of DNA vaccines is their poor immunogenicity. Several approaches including structural modification, combination therapy with conventional and novel cancer treatments (such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immune checkpoint blockade (ICB)), and the incorporation of adjuvants into the plasmid structure have been studied to enhance the vaccine's immunogenicity and improve the clinical outcome of cancer patients. In this review, we will discuss some of the most promising optimization strategies and examine some of the important trials regarding these vaccines.

Salmonella-based therapeutic strategies: improving tumor microenvironment and bringing new hope for cancer immunotherapy

Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment, yet its effectiveness is limited by immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). To overcome this challenge, innovative strategies to effectively modulate the TME are urgently needed. Over the past decades, bacteria-mediated cancer immunotherapy has recaptured increasing attention, driven by advances in synthetic biology, genetic engineering and our knowledge of host-pathogen interactions. Among various bacterial species, Salmonella has emerged as a leading candidate with significant therapeutic potential due to its broad-spectrum anti-tumor activity, tumor-targeting ability, immunomodulatory effects, oncolytic properties, genetic programmability, and engineering flexibility. These characteristics enable Salmonella to reshape the immunosuppressive TME, thereby enhancing anti-tumor efficacy. This review elaborates the regulatory effects of Salmonella on key components of the TME, the versatile engineering strategies for optimizing Salmonella's ability to modulate the TME, and recent advancements in combination cancer therapies. We also summarize current clinical applications and discuss challenges of developing safer and more effective Salmonella-based cancer immunotherapy.

Genetic engineering of Salmonella spp. for novel vaccine strategies and therapeutics

Salmonella enterica is a diverse species that infects both humans and animals. S. enterica subspecies enterica consists of more than 1,500 serovars. Unlike typhoidal Salmonella serovars which are human host-restricted, non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) serovars are associated with foodborne illnesses worldwide and are transmitted via the food chain. Additionally, NTS serovars can cause disease in livestock animals causing significant economic losses. Salmonella is a well-studied model organism that is easy to manipulate and evaluate in animal models of infection. Advances in genetic engineering approaches in recent years have led to the development of Salmonella vaccines for both humans and animals. In this review, we focus on current progress of recombinant live-attenuated Salmonella vaccines, their use as a source of antigens for parenteral vaccines, their use as live-vector vaccines to deliver foreign antigens, and their use as therapeutic cancer vaccines in humans. We also describe development of live-attenuated Salmonella vaccines and live-vector vaccines for use in animals.

A Review of Clinical Trials Involving Genetically Modified Bacteria, Bacteriophages and Their Associated Risk Assessments

Introduction

Discussion of gene-modified investigational products (IPs) in clinical trials has largely focused on nucleic acid-based vectors, viral vectors, and gene-modified cellular products involving mammalian cells. Use of bacteria and bacteriophages as IPs is resurgent, and discussion of the risks associated with genetic modification of these organisms has become pertinent to the biosafety community.

Methods

This review article summarizes the United States Food and Drug Administration classification for IPs comprising bacteria or bacteriophages and provides an overview of clinical trials conducted to date involving genetically modified bacteria. The risk assessment for bacterial or bacteriophage-based IPs is discussed.

Conclusion

The risk assessment process for bacterial or bacteriophage-based IPs is different from that of gene expression vectors and mammalian cells. Greater consideration must be given to the attenuating mutations affecting virulence, replication competency, antibiotic susceptibility, and persistence in the environment. With the recent growth in clinical trials involving genetically modified bacteria, biosafety professionals and Institutional Biosafety Committees with responsibilities including oversight of clinical trials must become familiar with the associated risk assessment.

From promise to progress: the dynamic landscape of glioblastoma immunotherapy

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common CNS cancer, it has dismal survival rates despite several effective mediators: intensified cytotoxic therapy, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy, viral therapy, adoptive cell therapy, immune checkpoint blockade therapy, radiation therapy and vaccine therapy. This review examines the basic concepts underlying immune targeting and examines products such as checkpoint blockade drugs, CAR-T cells, oncolytic viruses, combinatory multimodal immunotherapy and cancer vaccines. New approaches to overcoming current constraints and challenges in GBM therapy are discussed, based on recent studies into these tactics, findings from ongoing clinical trials, as well as previous trial results.

Path to bacteriotherapy: From bacterial engineering to therapeutic perspectives

The major reason for the failure of conventional therapies is the heterogeneity and complexity of tumor microenvironments (TMEs). Many malignant tumors reprogram their surface antigens to evade the immune surveillance, leading to reduced antigen-presenting cells and hindered T-cell activation. Bacteria-mediated cancer immunotherapy has been extensively investigated in recent years. Scientists have ingeniously modified bacteria using synthetic biology and nanotechnology to enhance their biosafety with high tumor specificity, resulting in robust anticancer immune responses. To enhance the antitumor efficacy, therapeutic proteins, cytokines, nanoparticles, and chemotherapeutic drugs have been efficiently delivered using engineered bacteria. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of oncolytic bacterial therapies, covering bacterial design and the intricate interactions within TMEs. Additionally, it offers an in-depth comparison of the current techniques used for bacterial modification, both internally and externally, to maximize their therapeutic effectiveness. Finally, we outlined the challenges and opportunities ahead in the clinical application of oncolytic bacterial therapies.

Developing Vaccines in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: Trials and Tribulations

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma represents one of the most challenging malignancies to treat, with dismal survival rates despite advances in therapeutic modalities. Immunotherapy, particularly vaccines, has emerged as a promising strategy to harness the body's immune system in combating this aggressive cancer. This abstract reviews the trials and tribulations encountered in the development of vaccines targeting pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Key challenges include the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, the heterogeneity of tumor antigens, and a limited understanding of immune evasion mechanisms employed by pancreatic cancer cells. Various vaccine platforms, including peptide-based, dendritic cell-based, and viral vector-based vaccines, have been explored in preclinical and clinical settings. However, translating promising results from preclinical models to clinical efficacy has proven elusive. In recent years, mRNA vaccines have emerged as a promising immunotherapeutic strategy in the fight against various cancers, including pancreatic adenocarcinoma. We will discuss the potential applications, opportunities, and challenges associated with mRNA vaccines in pancreatic cancer treatment.

Exploiting bacteria for cancer immunotherapy

Immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of cancer but continues to be constrained by limited response rates, acquired resistance, toxicities and high costs, which necessitates the development of new, innovative strategies. The discovery of a connection between the human microbiota and cancer dates back 4,000 years, when local infection was observed to result in tumour eradication in some individuals. However, the true oncological relevance of the intratumoural microbiota was not recognized until the turn of the twentieth century. The intratumoural microbiota can have pivotal roles in both the pathogenesis and treatment of cancer. In particular, intratumoural bacteria can either promote or inhibit cancer growth via remodelling of the tumour microenvironment. Over the past two decades, remarkable progress has been made preclinically in engineering bacteria as agents for cancer immunotherapy; some of these bacterial products have successfully reached the clinical stages of development. In this Review, we discuss the characteristics of intratumoural bacteria and their intricate interactions with the tumour microenvironment. We also describe the many strategies used to engineer bacteria for use in the treatment of cancer, summarizing contemporary data from completed and ongoing clinical trials. The work described herein highlights the potential of bacteria to transform the landscape of cancer therapy, bridging ancient wisdom with modern scientific innovation.

Nucleic acid cancer vaccines targeting tumor related angiogenesis. Could mRNA vaccines constitute a game changer?

Tumor related angiogenesis is an attractive target in cancer therapeutic research due to its crucial role in tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis. Different agents were developed aiming to inhibit this process; however they had limited success. Cancer vaccines could be a promising tool in anti-cancer/anti-angiogenic therapy. Cancer vaccines aim to initiate an immune response against cancer cells upon presentation of tumor antigens which hopefully will result in the eradication of disease and prevention of its recurrence by inducing an efficient and long-lasting immune response. Different vaccine constructs have been developed to achieve this and they could include either protein-based or nucleic acid-based vaccines. Nucleic acid vaccines are simple and relatively easy to produce, with high efficiency and safety, thus prompting a high interest in the field. Different DNA vaccines have been developed to target crucial regulators of tumor angiogenesis. Most of them were successful in pre-clinical studies, mostly when used in combination with other therapeutics, but had limited success in the clinic. Apparently, different tumor evasion mechanisms and reduced immunogenicity still limit the potential of these vaccines and there is plenty of room for improvement. Nowadays, mRNA cancer vaccines are making remarkable progress due to improvements in the manufacturing technology and represent a powerful potential alternative. Apart from their efficiency, mRNA vaccines are simple and cheap to produce, can encompass multiple targets simultaneously, and can be quickly transferred from bench to bedside. mRNA vaccines have already accomplished amazing results in cancer clinical trials, thus ensuring a bright future in the field, although no anti-angiogenic mRNA vaccines have been described yet. This review aims to describe recent advances in anti-angiogenic DNA vaccine therapy and to provide perspectives for use of revolutionary approaches such are mRNA vaccines for anti-angiogenic treatments.

Current and future immunotherapeutic approaches in pancreatic cancer treatment

Pancreatic cancer is a major cause of cancer-related death, but despondently, the outlook and prognosis for this resistant type of tumor have remained grim for a long time. Currently, it is extremely challenging to prevent or detect it early enough for effective treatment because patients rarely exhibit symptoms and there are no reliable indicators for detection. Most patients have advanced or spreading cancer that is difficult to treat, and treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy can only slightly prolong their life by a few months. Immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of pancreatic cancer, yet its effectiveness is limited by the tumor's immunosuppressive and hard-to-reach microenvironment. First, this article explains the immunosuppressive microenvironment of pancreatic cancer and highlights a wide range of immunotherapy options, including therapies involving oncolytic viruses, modified T cells (T-cell receptor [TCR]-engineered and chimeric antigen receptor [CAR] T-cell therapy), CAR natural killer cell therapy, cytokine-induced killer cells, immune checkpoint inhibitors, immunomodulators, cancer vaccines, and strategies targeting myeloid cells in the context of contemporary knowledge and future trends. Lastly, it discusses the main challenges ahead of pancreatic cancer immunotherapy.

Friend or Foe: Exploring the Relationship between the Gut Microbiota and the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Digestive Cancers

Digestive cancers are among the leading causes of cancer death in the world. However, the mechanisms of cancer development and progression are not fully understood. Accumulating evidence in recent years pointing to the bidirectional interactions between gut dysbiosis and the development of a specific type of gastrointestinal cancer is shedding light on the importance of this "unseen organ"-the microbiota. This review focuses on the local role of the gut microbiota imbalance in different digestive tract organs and annexes related to the carcinogenic mechanisms. Microbiota modulation, either by probiotic administration or by dietary changes, plays an important role in the future therapies of various digestive cancers.

Hypoxia-targeting bacteria in cancer therapy

Tumor hypoxia plays a crucial role in driving cancer progression and fostering resistance to therapies by contributing significantly to chemoresistance, radioresistance, angiogenesis, invasiveness, metastasis, altered cell metabolism, and genomic instability. Despite the challenges encountered in therapeutically addressing tumor hypoxia with conventional drugs, a noteworthy alternative has emerged through the utilization of anaerobic oncolytic bacteria. These bacteria exhibit a preference for accumulating and proliferating within the hypoxic regions of tumors, where they can initiate robust antitumor effects and immune responses. Through simple genetic manipulation or sophisticated synthetic bioengineering, these bacteria can be further optimized to improve safety and antitumor activities, or they can be combined synergistically with chemotherapies, radiation, or other immunotherapies. In this review, we explore the potential benefits and challenges associated with this innovative anticancer approach, addressing issues related to clinical translation, particularly as several strains have progressed to clinical evaluation.

Progress in the development of vaccines for pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic cancer, which is regarded as the third deadliest cancer globally, poses a significant challenge because of its limited range of treatment options and high mortality rate. Currently, there is a focus on both the development of a novel concept in vaccine designing and the parallel study of the associated immune mechanisms. To further our understanding of the healthcare field, a variety of promising designs have been introduced for in-depth study. The designs were developed to include the mKRAS-specific amphiphile vaccine, which targets a specific mutation in the KRAS gene in addition to the multi-antigen targeted DNA vaccine, which aims to stimulate an immune response against multiple cancer antigens. Furthermore, later designs of vaccines were introduced based on the development of peptide-based cancer vaccines, mRNA-based vaccines, cell-based vaccines, and engineered bacterial vectors using an oral Salmonella-based vaccine. The study presents the concept on which the new vaccine is based and discusses the up-to-date immunological manifestations of these designed vaccines.

Present and Future of Immunotherapy in Patients With Glioblastoma: Limitations and Opportunities

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive primary malignant brain tumor. Standard therapies, including surgical resection, chemoradiation, and tumor treating fields, have not resulted in major improvements in the survival outcomes of patients with GBM. The lack of effective strategies has led to an increasing interest in immunotherapic approaches, considering the success in other solid tumors. However, GBM is a highly immunosuppressive tumor, as documented by the presence of several mechanisms of immune escape, which may represent a reason why immunotherapy clinical trials failed in this kind of tumor. In this review, we examine the current landscape of immunotherapy strategies in GBM, focusing on the challenge of immunoresistance and potential mechanisms to overcome it. We discussed completed and ongoing clinical trials involving immune checkpoint inhibitors, oncolytic viruses, vaccines, and CAR T-cell therapies, to provide insights into the efficacy and outcomes of different immunotherapeutic interventions. We also explore the impact of radiotherapy on the immune system within the GBM microenvironment highlighting the complex interactions between radiation treatment and the immune response.

Tumor vaccines: Toward multidimensional anti-tumor therapies

For decades, immunotherapies have offered hope for patients with advanced cancer. However, they show distinct benefits and limited clinical effects. Tumor vaccines have the potential to prime tumor-antigen-specific T cells and induce broad subsets of immune responses, ultimately eradicating tumor cells. Here, we classify tumor vaccines by their anti-tumor mechanisms, which include boosting the immune system, overcoming tumor immunosuppression, and modulating tumor angiogenesis. We focus on multidimensional tumor vaccine strategies using combinations of two or three of the above mechanisms, as these are superior to single-dimensional treatments. This review offers a perspective on tumor vaccine strategies and the future role of vaccine therapies in cancer treatment.

Salmonella enterica and outer membrane vesicles are current and future options for cancer treatment

Conventional cancer therapies have many limitations. In the last decade, it has been suggested that bacteria-mediated immunotherapy may circumvent the restrictions of traditional treatments. For example, Salmonella enterica is the most promising bacteria for treating cancer due to its intrinsic abilities, such as killing tumor cells, targeting, penetrating, and proliferating into the tumor. S. enterica has been genetically modified to ensure safety and increase its intrinsic antitumor efficacy. This bacterium has been used as a vector for delivering anticancer agents and as a combination therapy with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or photothermic. Recent studies have reported the antitumor efficacy of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) derived from S. enterica. OMVs are considered safer than attenuated bacteria and can stimulate the immune system as they comprise most of the immunogens found on the surface of their parent bacteria. Furthermore, OMVs can also be used as nanocarriers for antitumor agents. This review describes the advances in S. enterica as immunotherapy against cancer and the mechanisms by which Salmonella fights cancer. We also highlight the use of OMVs as immunotherapy and nanocarriers of anticancer agents. OMVs derived from S. enterica are innovative and promising strategies requiring further investigation.

Intratumor microbiota in cancer pathogenesis and immunity: from mechanisms of action to therapeutic opportunities

Microbial species that dwell human bodies have profound effects on overall health and multiple pathological conditions. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is characterized by disordered vasculature, hypoxia, excessive nutrition and immunosuppression. Thus, it is a favorable niche for microbial survival and growth. Multiple lines of evidence support the existence of microorganisms within diverse types of cancers. Like gut microbiota, intratumoral microbes have been tightly associated with cancer pathogenesis. Intratumoral microbiota can affect cancer development through various mechanisms, including induction of host genetic mutation, remodeling of the immune landscape and regulation of cancer metabolism and oncogenic pathways. Tumor-associated microbes modulate the efficacy of anticancer therapies, suggesting their potential utility as novel targets for future intervention. In addition, a growing body of evidence has manifested the diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic potential of intratumoral microorganisms in cancer. Nevertheless, our knowledge of the diversity and biological function of intratumoral microbiota is still incomplete. A deeper appreciation of tumor microbiome will be crucial to delineate the key pathological mechanisms underlying cancer progression and hasten the development of personalized treatment approaches. Herein, we summarize the most recent progress of the research into the emerging roles of intratumoral microbiota in cancer and towards clarifying the sophisticated mechanisms involved. Moreover, we discuss the effect of intratumoral microbiota on cancer treatment response and highlight its potential clinical implications in cancer.

Bacteria-based immunotherapy for cancer: a systematic review of preclinical studies

Immunotherapy has been emerging as a powerful strategy for cancer management. Recently, accumulating evidence has demonstrated that bacteria-based immunotherapy including naive bacteria, bacterial components, and bacterial derivatives, can modulate immune response via various cellular and molecular pathways. The key mechanisms of bacterial antitumor immunity include inducing immune cells to kill tumor cells directly or reverse the immunosuppressive microenvironment. Currently, bacterial antigens synthesized as vaccine candidates by bioengineering technology are novel antitumor immunotherapy. Especially the combination therapy of bacterial vaccine with conventional therapies may further achieve enhanced therapeutic benefits against cancers. However, the clinical translation of bacteria-based immunotherapy is limited for biosafety concerns and non-uniform production standards. In this review, we aim to summarize immunotherapy strategies based on advanced bacterial therapeutics and discuss their potential for cancer management, we will also propose approaches for optimizing bacteria-based immunotherapy for facilitating clinical translation.

Current Status and Challenges of Vaccination Therapy for Glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM), also known as grade IV astrocytoma, is the most common and deadly type of central nervous system malignancy in adults. Despite significant breakthroughs in current GBM treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, the prognosis for late-stage glioblastoma remains bleak due to tumor recurrence following surgical resection. The poor prognosis highlights the evident and pressing need for more efficient and targeted treatment. Vaccination has successfully treated patients with advanced colorectal and lung cancer. Therefore, the potential value of using tumor vaccines in treating glioblastoma is increasingly discussed as a monotherapy or in combination with other cellular immunotherapies. Cancer vaccination includes both passive administration of monoclonal antibodies and active vaccination procedures to activate, boost, or bias antitumor immunity against cancer cells. This article focuses on active immunotherapy with peptide, genetic (DNA, mRNA), and cell-based vaccines in treating GBM and reviews the various treatment approaches currently being tested. Although the ease of synthesis, relative safety, and ability to elicit tumor-specific immune responses have made these vaccines an invaluable tool for cancer treatment, more extensive cohort studies and better guidelines are needed to improve the efficacy of these vaccines in anti-GBM therapy.

The Current Status, Challenges, and Future Potential of Therapeutic Vaccination in Glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant primary brain tumor and confers a dismal prognosis. With only two FDA-approved therapeutics showing modest survival gains since 2005, there is a great need for the development of other disease-targeted therapies. Due, in part, to the profound immunosuppressive microenvironment seen in GBMs, there has been a broad interest in immunotherapy. In both GBMs and other cancers, therapeutic vaccines have generally yielded limited efficacy, despite their theoretical basis. However, recent results from the DCVax-L trial provide some promise for vaccine therapy in GBMs. There is also the potential that future combination therapies with vaccines and adjuvant immunomodulating agents may greatly enhance antitumor immune responses. Clinicians must remain open to novel therapeutic strategies, such as vaccinations, and carefully await the results of ongoing and future trials. In this review of GBM management, the promise and challenges of immunotherapy with a focus on therapeutic vaccinations are discussed. Additionally, adjuvant therapies, logistical considerations, and future directions are discussed.

Bacteria-mediated cancer therapy: A versatile bio-sapper with translational potential

Bacteria are important symbionts for humans, which sustain substantial influences on our health. Interestingly, some bastrains have been identified to have therapeutic applications, notably for antitumor activity. Thereby, oncologists have developed various therapeutic models and investigated the potential antitumor mechanisms for bacteria-mediated cancer therapy (BCT). Even though BCT has a long history and exhibits remarkable therapeutic efficacy in pre-clinical animal models, its clinical translation still lags and requires further breakthroughs. This review aims to focus on the established strains of therapeutic bacteria and their antitumor mechanisms, including the stimulation of host immune responses, direct cytotoxicity, the interference on cellular signal transduction, extracellular matrix remodeling, neoangiogenesis, and metabolism, as well as vehicles for drug delivery and gene therapy. Moreover, a brief discussion is proposed regarding the important future directions for this fantastic research field of BCT at the end of this review.

Clinical and Translational Advances in Glioma Immunotherapy

Gliomas are highly treatment refractory against immune checkpoint blockade, an immunotherapeutic modality that revolutionized therapy for many tumors. At the same time, technological innovation has dramatically accelerated the development of immunotherapeutic approaches such as personalized tumor-specific vaccine production, dendritic cell vaccine manufacture, patient-individual target selection and chimeric antigen receptor, and T cell receptor T cell manufacture. Here we review recent clinical and translational advances in glioma immunotherapy with a focus on targets and their cognate immune receptor derivates as well as concepts to improve intratumoral T cell effector functions.

Cancer Vaccine in Solid Tumors: Where We Stand

Cancer immunotherapy has achieved landmark progress in the field of medical oncology in the era of personalized medicine. In the recent past, our knowledge has expanded regarding how tumor cells escape from the immune system, introducing immunosuppressive microenvironments, and developing tolerance. Therapeutic cancer vaccine leads to activation of immune memory that is long-lasting, safe, and effective; hence, it is becoming an attractive method of immunotherapy. Various cancer vaccine trials in the past have taught us the types of target selection, magnitude of immune response, and implementation of appropriate technologies for the development of new successful cancer vaccines. Tumor-associated antigens, cancer germline antigens, oncogenic viral antigens, and tumor-specific antigens, also known as neoantigens, are potential targets for designing therapeutic cancer vaccines. Cancer vaccine could be cell based, viral vector based, peptide based, and nucleic acid based (DNA/RNA). Several preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated the mechanism of action, safety, efficacy, and toxicities of various types of cancer vaccines. In this article, we review the types of various tumor antigens and types of cancer vaccines tested in clinical trials and discuss the application and importance of this approach toward precision medicine in the field of immuno-oncology.

Highlights of Immunomodulation in Salmonella-Based Cancer Therapy

Bacteria-mediated cancer therapy (BMCT) is an emerging tool that may advance potential approaches in cancer immunotherapy, whereby tumors are eradicated by the hosts’ immune system upon recruitment and activation by bacteria such as Salmonella. This paper provides an emphasis on the immunomodulatory effects that encompasses both the innate and adaptive immune responses inherently triggered by Salmonella. Furthermore, modifications of Salmonella-based treatment in the attempt to improve tumor-specific immune responses including cytokine therapy, gene therapy, and DNA vaccine delivery are likewise discussed. The majority of the findings described herein incorporate cell-based experiments and murine model studies, and only a few accounts describe clinical trials. Salmonella-based cancer therapy is still under development; nonetheless, the pre-clinical research and early-phase clinical trials that have been completed so far have shown promising and convincing results. Certainly, the continuous development of, and innovation on, Salmonella-based therapy could pave the way for its eventual emergence as one of the mainstream therapeutic interventions addressing various types of cancer.

Bacteria-based immune therapies for cancer treatment

Engineered bacterial therapies that target the tumor immune landscape offer a new class of cancer immunotherapy. Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes are two species of bacteria that have been engineered to specifically target tumors and serve as delivery vessels for immunotherapies. Therapeutic bacteria have been engineered to deliver cytokines, gene silencing shRNA, and tumor associated antigens that increase immune activation. Bacterial therapies stimulate both the innate and adaptive immune system, change the immune dynamics of the tumor microenvironment, and offer unique strategies for targeting tumors. Bacteria have innate adjuvant properties, which enable both the delivered molecules and the bacteria themselves to stimulate immune responses. Bacterial immunotherapies that deliver cytokines and tumor-associated antigens have demonstrated clinical efficacy. Harnessing the diverse set of mechanisms that Salmonella and Listeria use to alter the tumor-immune landscape has the potential to generate many new and effective immunotherapies.

Challenges and Future Perspectives of Immunotherapy in Pancreatic Cancer

Simple Summary

Immunotherapeutic agents harness the patient’s immune system to fight cancer cells. Especially immune checkpoint inhibitors, a certain group of immunotherapeutic agents, have recently improved treatment options for many cancer types. Unfortunately, clinical trials testing of these agents in pancreatic cancer patients have not confirmed promising results from laboratory experiments. Several characteristics of pancreatic cancer biology, especially the profound tumour microenvironment that inhibits the successful identification and elimination of tumour cells by immune cells seems to be responsible for the lacking efficacy of immunotherapeutics in pancreatic cancer. We summarise recently published clinical trials investigating immunotherapeutic strategies in pancreatic cancer patients and available data on how these treatments influence pancreatic cancer biology. Moreover, we identify potential strategies to improve experimental and clinical studies in order to generate more conclusive data and improve patient outcomes in the future.

Abstract

To date, extensive efforts to harness immunotherapeutic strategies for the treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) have yielded disappointing results in clinical trials. These strategies mainly focused on cancer vaccines and immune checkpoint inhibitors alone or in combination with chemotherapeutic or targeted agents. However, the growing preclinical and clinical data sets from these efforts have established valuable insights into the immunological characteristics of PDAC biology. Most notable are the immunosuppressive role of the tumour microenvironment (TME) and PDAC’s characteristically poor immunogenicity resulting from tumour intrinsic features. Moreover, PDAC tumour heterogeneity has been increasingly well characterized and may additionally limit a “one-fits-all” immunotherapeutic strategy. In this review, we first outline mechanisms of immunosuppression and immune evasion in PDAC. Secondly, we summarize recently published data on preclinical and clinical efforts to establish immunotherapeutic strategies for the treatment of PDAC including diverse combinatorial treatment approaches aiming at overcoming this resistance towards immunotherapeutic strategies. Particularly, these combinatorial treatment approaches seek to concomitantly increase PDAC antigenicity, boost PDAC directed T-cell responses, and impair the immunosuppressive character of the TME in order to allow immunotherapeutic agents to unleash their full potential. Eventually, the thorough understanding of the currently available data on immunotherapeutic treatment strategies of PDAC will enable researchers and clinicians to develop improved treatment regimens and to design innovative clinical trials to overcome the pronounced immunosuppression of PDAC.

Perspectives on Oncolytic Salmonella in Cancer Immunotherapy-A Promising Strategy

Since the first reported spontaneous regression of tumors in patients with streptococcus infection, cancer biological therapy was born and it evolved into today's immunotherapy over the last century. Although the original strategy was unable to impart maximal therapeutic benefit at the beginning, it laid the foundations for the development of immune checkpoint blockade and CAR-T which are currently used for cancer treatment in the clinics. However, clinical applications have shown that current cancer immunotherapy can cause a series of adverse reactions and are captious for patients with preexisting autoimmune disorders. Salmonellae was first reported to exert antitumor effect in 1935. Until now, numerous studies have proved its potency as an antitumor agent in the near future. In this review, we summarize the currently available data on the antitumor effects of Salmonella, and discussed a possibility of integrating Salmonella into cancer immunotherapy to overcome current obstacles.

Assessment of tissue perfusion of pancreatic cancer as potential imaging biomarker by means of Intravoxel incoherent motion MRI and CT perfusion: correlation with histological microvessel density as ground truth

Background/objectives

The aim of this study was to compare intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) diffusion weighted (DW) MRI and CT perfusion to assess tumor perfusion of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Methods

In this prospective study, DW-MRI and CT perfusion were conducted in nineteen patients with PDAC on the day before surgery. IVIM analysis of DW-MRI was performed and the parameters perfusion fraction f, pseudodiffusion coefficient D*, and diffusion coefficient D were extracted for tumors, upstream, and downstream parenchyma. With a deconvolution-based analysis, the CT perfusion parameters blood flow (BF) and blood volume (BV) were estimated for tumors, upstream, and downstream parenchyma. In ten patients, intratumoral microvessel density (MVD_tumor) and microvessel area (MVA_tumor) were analyzed microscopically in resection specimens. Correlation coefficients between IVIM parameters, CT perfusion parameters, and histological microvessel parameters in tumors were calculated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed for differentiation of tumors and upstream parenchyma.

Results

f_tumor significantly positively correlated with BF_tumor (r = 0.668, p = 0.002) and BV_tumor (r = 0.672, p = 0.002). There were significant positive correlations between f_tumor and MVD_tumor/ MVA_tumor (r ≥ 0.770, p ≤ 0.009) as well as between BF_tumor and MVD_tumor/ MVA_tumor (r ≥ 0.697, p ≤ 0.025). Correlation coefficients between f_tumor and MVD_tumor/ MVA_tumor were not significantly different from correlation coefficients between BF_tumor and MVD_tumor/ MVA_tumor (p ≥ 0.400). Moreover, f, BF, BV, and permeability values (PEM) showed excellent performance in distinguishing tumors from upstream parenchyma (area under the ROC curve ≥0.874).

Conclusions

The study shows that IVIM derived f_tumor and CT perfusion derived BF_tumor similarly reflect vascularity of PDAC and seem to be comparably applicable for the evaluation of tumor perfusion for tumor characterization and as potential quantitative imaging biomarker.

Trial registration

DRKS, DRKS00022227, Registered 26 June 2020, retrospectively registered. https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial. HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00022227.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40644-021-00382-x.

New technologies in developing recombinant-attenuated bacteria for cancer therapy

Cancer has always been a global problem, with more cases of cancer patients being diagnosed every year. Conventional cancer treatments, including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgery, are still unable to bypass their obvious limitations, and developing effective targeted therapies is still required. More than one century ago, the doctor William B. Coley discovered that cancer patients had tumor regression by injection of Streptococcus bacteria. The studies of cancer therapy using bacterial microorganisms are now very widespread. In particular, the facultative anaerobic bacteria Salmonella typhimurium is widely investigated as it can selectively colonize different types of tumors, locally deliver various antitumor drugs, and inhibit tumor growth. The exciting antitumor efficacy and safety observed in animal tumor models prompted the well-known attenuated Salmonella bacterial strain VNP20009 to be tested in human clinical trials in the early 21st century. Regrettably, no patients showed significant therapeutic effects and even bacterial colonization in tumor tissue was undetectable in most patients. Salmonella bacteria are still considered as a promising agent or vehicle for cancer therapy. Recent efforts have been focused on the generation of attenuated bacterial strains with higher targeting for tumor tissue, and optimization of the delivery of therapeutic antitumor cargoes into the tumor microenvironment. This review will summarize new technologies or approaches that may improve bacteria-mediated cancer therapy.

Obligate and facultative anaerobic bacteria in targeted cancer therapy: Current strategies and clinical applications

Traditional methods for cancer therapy, including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy are characterized by inherent limitations. Bacteria-mediated tumor therapy is becoming a promising approach in cancer treatment due to the ability of obligate or facultative anaerobic microorganisms to penetrate and proliferate in hypoxic regions of tumors. It is widely known that anaerobic bacteria cause the regression of tumors and inhibition of metastasis through a variety of mechanisms, including toxin production, anaerobic lifestyle and synergy with anti-cancer drugs. These features have the potential to be used as a supplement to conventional cancer treatment. To the best of our knowledge, no reports have been published regarding the most common tumor-targeting bacterial agents with special consideration of obligate anaerobes (such as Clostridium sp., Bifidobacterium sp.) and facultative anaerobes (including Salmonella sp., Listeria monocytogenes, Lactobacillus sp., Escherichia coli, Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Pseudomonas sp). In this review, we summarize the latest literature on the role of these bacteria in cancer treatment.

Oncolytic bacteria: past, present and future

More than a century ago, independent groups raised the possibility of using bacteria to selectively infect tumours. Such treatment induces an immune reaction that can cause tumour rejection and protect the patient against further recurrences. One of the first holistic approximations to use bacteria in cancer treatment was performed by William Coley, considered the father of immune-therapy, at the end of XIX century. Since then, many groups have used different bacteria to test their antitumour activity in animal models and patients. The basis for this reactivity implies that innate immune responses activated upon bacteria recognition, also react against the tumour. Different publications have addressed several aspects of oncolytic bacteria. In the present review, we will focus on revisiting the historical aspects using bacteria as oncolytic agents and how they led to the current clinical trials. In addition, we address the molecules present in oncolytic bacteria that induce specific toxic effects against the tumors as well as the activation of host immune responses in order to trigger antitumour immunity. Finally, we discuss future perspectives that could be considered in the different fields implicated in the implementation of this kind of therapy in order to improve the current use of bacteria as oncolytic agents.

Biology and Therapeutic Targets of Colorectal Serrated Adenocarcinoma; Clues for a Histologically Based Treatment against an Aggressive Tumor

Serrated adenocarcinoma (SAC) is a tumor recognized by the WHO as a histological subtype accounting for around 9% of colorectal carcinomas. Compared to conventional carcinomas, SACs are characterized by a worse prognosis, weak development of the immune response, an active invasive front and a frequent resistance to targeted therapy due to a high occurrence of KRAS or BRAF mutation. Nonetheless, several high-throughput studies have recently been carried out unveiling the biology of this cancer and identifying potential molecular targets, favoring a future histologically based treatment. This review revises the current evidence, aiming to propose potential molecular targets and specific treatments for this aggressive tumor.

Salmonella-Based Targeted Cancer Therapy: Updates on A Promising and Innovative Tumor Immunotherapeutic Strategy

Presently, cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world, primarily due to tumor heterogeneity associated with high-grade malignancy. Tumor heterogeneity poses a tremendous challenge, especially with the emergence of resistance not only to chemo- and radiation- therapies, but also to immunotherapy using monoclonal antibodies. The use of Salmonella, as a highly selective and penetrative antitumor agent, has shown convincing results, thus meriting further investigation. In this review, the mechanisms used by Salmonella in combating cancer are carefully explained. In essence, Salmonella overcomes the suppressive nature of the tumor microenvironment and coaxes the activation of tumor-specific immune cells to induce cell death by apoptosis and autophagy. Furthermore, Salmonella treatment suppresses tumor aggressive behavior via inhibition of angiogenesis and delay of metastatic activity. Thus, harnessing the natural potential of Salmonella in eliminating tumors will provide an avenue for the development of a promising micro-based therapeutic agent that could be further enhanced to address a wide range of tumor types.

Recent Development and Clinical Application of Cancer Vaccine: Targeting Neoantigens

Recently, increasing data show that immunotherapy could be a powerful weapon against cancers. Comparing to the traditional surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, immunotherapy more specifically targets cancer cells, giving rise to the opportunities to the patients to have higher response rates and better quality of life and even to cure the disease. Cancer vaccines could be designed to target tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), cancer germline antigens, virus-associated antigens, or tumor-specific antigens (TSAs), which are also called neoantigens. The cancer vaccines could be cell-based (e.g., dendritic cell vaccine provenge (sipuleucel-T) targeting prostatic acid phosphatase for metastatic prostate cancer), peptide/protein-based, or gene- (DNA/RNA) based, with the different kinds of adjuvants. Neoantigens are tumor-specific and could be presented by MHC molecules and recognized by T lymphocytes, serving the ideal immune targets to increase the therapeutic specificity and decrease the risk of nonspecific autoimmunity. By targeting the shared antigens and private epitopes, the cancer vaccine has potential to treat the disease. Accordingly, personalized neoantigen-based immunotherapies are emerging. In this article, we review the literature and evidence of the advantage and application of cancer vaccine. We summarize the recent clinical trials of neoantigen cancer vaccines which were designed according to the patients' personal mutanome. With the rapid development of personalized immunotherapy, it is believed that tumors could be efficiently controlled and become curable in the new era of precision medicine.

Cancer Immunotherapy: Priming the Host Immune Response with Live Attenuated Salmonella enterica

In recent years, cancer immunotherapy has undergone great advances because of our understanding of the immune response and the mechanisms through which tumor cells evade it. A century after the first immunotherapy attempt based on bacterial products described by William Coley, the use of live attenuated bacterial vectors has become a promising alternative in the fight against cancer. This review describes the role of live attenuated Salmonella enterica as an oncolytic and immunotherapeutic agent, due to its high affinity for tumor tissue and its ability to activate innate and adaptive antitumor immune response. Furthermore, its potential use as delivery system of tumor antigens and immunomodulatory molecules that induce tumor regression is also reviewed.

Immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer: A long and hopeful journey

Multiple therapeutic strategies have been developed to treat pancreatic cancer. However, the outcomes of these approaches are disappointing. Due to deeper understandings of the pivotal roles of the immune system in pancreatic cancer tumorigenesis and progression, novel therapeutic strategies based on immune cells and the tumor microenvironment are being investigated. Some of these approaches, such as checkpoint inhibitors, chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, and BiTE antibodies, have achieved exciting outcomes in preclinical and clinical trials. The current review describes the roles of immune cells and the immunosuppressive microenvironment in the development of pancreatic cancer, as well as the preclinical and clinical outcomes and benefits of recent immunotherapeutic approaches, which may help us further disclose the mechanisms of pancreatic cancer progression and the dialectical views of feasibility and effectiveness of immunotherapy in treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Vaccine Strategies in Gliomas

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To discuss the current state of glioma vaccine development and highlight the challenges associated with clinical implementation of these approaches.

RECENT FINDINGS

Vaccination strategies against gliomas have matured considerably during the past years, although proof-of efficacy from controlled clinical trials is still lacking. Advances in antigen discovery, including the definition of neoepitopes including epidermal growth factor receptor variant III (EGFRvIII), isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)1R132H and Histone (H)3.3K27M, using multi-omic approaches and computational algorithms allow targeting single antigens, but also implementing truly personalized approaches. In addition, new concepts of vaccine manufacturing including RNA and DNA vaccines improve immunogenicity and applicability in personalized settings. As an increasing amount of clinical data defy the concept of the central nervous system (CNS) as a strictly immunoprivileged site, novel vaccine approaches enter the clinic including critical efforts to identify biomarkers of response and resistance and strategies to overcome the immunosuppressive glioma microenvironment.

Induction and characterization of anti-tumor endothelium immunity elicited by ValloVax therapeutic cancer vaccine

ValloVax is a placental endothelium derived vaccine which induces tissue-nonspecific antitumor immunity by blocking tumor angiogesis. To elucidate mechanisms of action, we showed that production of ValloVax, which involves treating placental endothelial cells with IFN-gamma, results in upregulation of HLA and costimulatory molecules. It was shown that in mixed lymphocyte reaction, ValloVax induces Type I cytokines and allo-proliferative responses. Plasma from ValloVax immunized mice was capable of killing in vitro tumor-like endothelium but not control endothelium. Using defined antigens associated with tumor endothelial cells, specific molecular entities were identified as being targeted by ValloVax induced antibodies. Binding of predominantly IgG antibodies to ValloVax cells was confirmed by flow cytometry. Further suggesting direct killing of tumor endothelial cells was expression of TUNEL positive cells, as well as, reduction in tumor oxygenation. Supporting a role for antibody mediated responses, cell depletion experiments suggested a predominant role of B cells in maintaining an intact anti-tumor endothelial response. Adoptive transfer experiments suggested that infusion of CD3+ T cells from immunized mice was sufficient to transfer tumor protection. Generation of memory T cells selective to tumor endothelial specific markers was observed. Functional confirmation of memory responses was observed in tumor rechallenge experiments. Furthermore, we observed that both PD-1 or CTLA-4 blockade augmented antitumor effects of ValloVax. These data suggest a T cell induced B cell mediated anti-tumor endothelial response and set the framework clinical trials through elucidation of mechanism of action.

Challenges and Perspectives for Immunotherapy in Adenocarcinoma of the Pancreas: The Cancer Immunity Cycle

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal disease with a devastating 5-year overall survival of only approximately 7%. Although just 4% of all malignant diseases are accounted to PDAC, it will become the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths before 2030. Immunotherapy has proven to be a promising therapeutic option in various malignancies such as melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), microsatellite instability-high gastrointestinal cancer, urinary tract cancer, kidney cancer, and others. In this review, we summarize recent findings about immunological aspects of PDAC with the focus on the proposed model of the "cancer immunity cycle". By this model, a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanism in achieving a T-cell response against cancer cells is provided. There is currently great interest in the field around designing novel immunotherapy combination studies for PDAC based on a sound understanding of the underlying immunobiology.

A phase 1 trial extension to assess immunologic efficacy and safety of prime-boost vaccination with VXM01, an oral T cell vaccine against VEGFR2, in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer

VXM01 is a first-in-kind orally applied tumor vaccine based on live attenuated Salmonella typhi carrying an expression plasmid encoding VEGFR2, an antigen expressed on tumor vasculature and a stable and accessible target for anti-angiogenic intervention. A recent randomized, placebo-controlled, phase I dose-escalation trial in advanced pancreatic cancer patients demonstrated safety, immunogenicity and transient, T-cell response-related anti-angiogenic activity of four priming vaccinations applied within one week. We here evaluated whether monthly boost vaccinations are safe and can sustain increased frequencies of vaccine-specific T cells. Patients with advanced pancreatic cancer were randomly assigned at a ratio of 2:1 to priming with VXM01 followed by up to six monthly boost vaccinations, or placebo treatment. Vaccinations were applied orally at two alternative doses of either 10⁶ colony-forming units (CFU) or 10⁷ CFU, and concomitant treatment with standard-of-care gemcitabine during the priming phase, and any treatment thereafter, was allowed in the study. Immunomonitoring involved interferon-gamma (IFNγ) ELIspot analysis with long overlapping peptides spanning the entire VEGFR2 sequence. A total of 26 patients were treated. Treatment-related adverse events preferentially associated with VXM01 were decreases in lymphocyte numbers in the blood, increased frequencies of neutrophils and diarrhea. Eight out of 16 patients who received at least one boosting vaccination responded with pronounced, i.e. at least 3-fold, increase in VEGFR2-specific T cell response over baseline levels. In the VXM01 vaccination group, VEGFR2-specific T cells peaked preferentially during the boosting phase with an average 4-fold increase over baseline levels. In conclusion, prime/boost vaccination with VXM01 was safe and immunogenic and increased vaccine specific T cell responses compared with placebo treatment.

Immunogenicity and safety of xenogeneic vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 DNA vaccination in mice and dogs

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) is an attractive target in oncology due to its crucial role in angiogenesis. In this study a DNA vaccine coding for human VEGFR-2 was evaluated in healthy mice and dogs, administered by intradermal injection and electroporation. In mice, three doses and vaccination schedules were evaluated. Cellular immune responses were measured by intracellular IFN-gamma staining and a cytotoxicity assay and antibodies by ELISA. Safety was assessed by measuring regulatory T cells and myeloid derived suppressor cells and a wound healing assay. The vaccine was subsequently evaluated in dogs, which were vaccinated three times with 100μg. Cellular immune responses were measured by intracellular IFN-gamma staining and antibodies by a flow cytometric assay. In mice, maximal cellular responses were observed after two vaccinations with 5μg. Humoral responses continued to increase with higher dose and number of vaccinations. No abnormalities in the measured safety parameters were observed. The vaccine was also capable of eliciting a cellular and humoral immune response in dogs. No adverse effects were observed, but tolerability of the electroporation was poor. This study will facilitate the evaluation of the vaccine in tumor bearing animals, ranging from rodent models to dogs with spontaneous tumors.

Trial watch: DNA-based vaccines for oncological indications

DNA-based vaccination is a promising approach to cancer immunotherapy. DNA-based vaccines specific for tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) are indeed relatively simple to produce, cost-efficient and well tolerated. However, the clinical efficacy of DNA-based vaccines for cancer therapy is considerably limited by central and peripheral tolerance. During the past decade, considerable efforts have been devoted to the development and characterization of novel DNA-based vaccines that would circumvent this obstacle. In this setting, particular attention has been dedicated to the route of administration, expression of modified TAAs, co-expression of immunostimulatory molecules, and co-delivery of immune checkpoint blockers. Here, we review preclinical and clinical progress on DNA-based vaccines for cancer therapy.

Immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer

INTRODUCTION

Pancreatic cancer is among the most lethal malignancies resistant to conventional therapies. The vast majority of patients is diagnosed with advanced/metastatic disease and consequently has grim prognosis. Despite the available options with nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine or 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin/oxaliplatin, chemotherapy offers a modest survival benefit. Targeted therapy in combination with chemotherapy has not shown significant improvement in treatment outcomes. The urgent need for new therapies has turned the spotlights on immunotherapy. Immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer recruits and activates T cells which recognize tumor-specific antigens.

RESULTS

Preclinical models have demonstrated that chemotherapy or targeted therapy works synergistically with immunotherapy. A growing body of evidence has already been gathered regarding the efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors, vaccines, adoptive T cell therapy, monoclonal antibodies, and cytokines in patients with pancreatic cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

Many ongoing trials are aiming to identify treatments which could combine efficacy with limited toxicity. In this article, we review the available data concerning multiple aspects of immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer: Update on immunotherapies and algenpantucel-L

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is notoriously lethal, and despite improvements in systemic chemotherapy approaches bringing survival rates for metastatic disease to almost 1 year, by 2030 it is expected to become the second leading cause of cancer death. Pancreatic cancer (PC) prognosis has been associated with both the presence of intratumoral helper and cytotoxic T lymphocytes, as well as humoral immune responses to tumor associated antigens like mesothelin. It is well described that the PC microenvironment is characterized by a fibroinflammatory and immunosuppressive stroma. On these premises several immune-targeted strategies have been developed to harness the adaptable immune system with a goal of improving survival with little toxicity. Cancer vaccines involve the administration of tumor-associated antigens with the goal of inducing an endogenous anti-tumor response. Among several strategies discussed, we will focus on the algenpantucel-L (HyperAcute™ Pancreas) immunotherapy. Algenpantucel-L is a whole cell immunotherapy consisting of irradiated allogeneic PC cells genetically engineered to express the murine enzyme α(1,3)-galactosyltransferase (αGT), which ultimately leads to hyperacute rejection with complement- and antibody-dependent cytotoxicity. While phase III data in the adjuvant treatment of pancreatic cancer are pending, phase II results have been encouraging, particularly for patients who demonstrated humoral immunologic responses. Novel strategies using immune checkpoint inhibitors, costimulatory antibodies, and combinations with cancer vaccines may overcome immunotolerance and improve treatment success.

Bacteria and genetically modified bacteria as cancer therapeutics: Current advances and challenges

Bacteria act as pro- or anti- tumorigenic agents. Whole bacteria or cytotoxic or immunogenic peptides carried by them exert potent anti-tumor effects in the experimental models of cancer. The use of attenuated microorganism(s) e.g., BCG to treat human urinary bladder cancer was found to be superior compared to standard chemotherapy. Although the phase-I clinical trials with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, has shown limited benefits in human subjects, a recent pre-clinical trial in pet dogs with tumors reported some subjects benefited from this treatment strain. In addition to the attenuated host strains derived by conventional mutagenesis, recombinant DNA technology has been applied to a few microorganisms that have been evaluated in the context of tumor colonization and eradication using mouse models. There is an enormous surge in publications describing bacterial anti-cancer therapies in the past 15years. Vectors for delivering shRNAs that target oncogenic products, express tumor suppressor genes and immunogenic proteins have been developed. These approaches have showed promising anti-tumor activity in mouse models against various tumors. These can be potential therapeutics for humans in the future. In this review, some conceptual and practical issues on how to improve these agents for human applications are discussed.

Emerging immunotherapeutics in adenocarcinomas: A focus on CAR-T cells

More than 80% of all cancers arise from epithelial cells referred to as carcinomas. Adenocarcinomas are the most common type of carcinomas arising from the specialized epithelial cells that line the ducts of our major organs. Despite many advances in cancer therapies, metastatic and treatment-refractory cancers remain the 2nd leading cause of death. Immunotherapy has offered potential opportunities with specific targeting of tumor cells and inducing remission in many cancer patients. Numerous therapies using antibodies as antagonists or checkpoint inhibitors/immune modulators, peptide or cell vaccines, cytokines, and adoptive T cell therapies have been developed. The most innovative immunotherapy approach so far has been the use of engineered T cell, also referred to as chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T cells). CAR-T cells are genetically modified naïve T cells that express a chimeric molecule which comprises of the antigen-recognition domains (scFv) of an anti-tumor antibody and one, two, or three intracellular signaling domains of the T cell receptor (TCR). When these engineered T cells recognize and bind to the tumor antigen target via the scFv fragment, a signal is sent to the intracellular TCR domains of the CAR, leading to activation of the T cells to become cytolytic against the tumor cells. CAR-T cell therapy has shown tremendous success for certain hematopoietic malignancies, but this success has not been extrapolated to adenocarcinomas. This is due to multiple factors associated with adenocarcinoma that are different from hematopoietic tumors. Although many advances have been made in targeting multiple cancers by CAR-T cells, clinical trials have shown adverse effects and toxicity related to this treatment. New strategies are yet to be devised to manage side effects associated with CAR-T cell therapies. In this review, we report some of the promising immunotherapeutic strategies being developed for treatment of most common adenocarcinomas with particular emphasis on the future generation of CAR-T cell therapy.