Remembering Ralph Steinman

Current status and future perspectives of dendritic cell-based cancer immunotherapy

Dendritic cells (DCs) are considered to be the most potent antigen-presenting cells. Ever since the development of protocols for the in vitro generation of DCs, their application in immunotherapy against various malignancies has been explored. Even though the approach of using tumour antigen-presenting DCs in therapeutic vaccination strategies has been shown to work effectively in mice and look promising in in vitro studies, the actual clinical benefit for patients with cancer has been marginal. There clearly is still room for improvement. In this review, we will summarize recent clinical trials and findings and try to shed some light on the current status and the future of DC-based cancer immunotherapy.

The dendritic cell lineage: ontogeny and function of dendritic cells and their subsets in the steady state and the inflamed setting

Dendritic cells (DCs) form a remarkable cellular network that shapes adaptive immune responses according to peripheral cues. After four decades of research, we now know that DCs arise from a hematopoietic lineage distinct from other leukocytes, establishing the DC system as a unique hematopoietic branch. Recent work has also established that tissue DCs consist of developmentally and functionally distinct subsets that differentially regulate T lymphocyte function. This review discusses major advances in our understanding of the regulation of DC lineage commitment, differentiation, diversification, and function in situ.

The dendritic cell lineage: ontogeny and function of dendritic cells and their subsets in the steady state and the inflamed setting

Dendritic cells (DCs) form a remarkable cellular network that shapes adaptive immune responses according to peripheral cues. After four decades of research, we now know that DCs arise from a hematopoietic lineage distinct from other leukocytes, establishing the DC system as a unique hematopoietic branch. Recent work has also established that tissue DCs consist of developmentally and functionally distinct subsets that differentially regulate T lymphocyte function. This review discusses major advances in our understanding of the regulation of DC lineage commitment, differentiation, diversification, and function in situ.