Presentation of tumour antigens by dendritic cells and challenges faced

Robson, N.C., Hoves, S., Maraskovsky, E. and Schnurr, M. (2010) Presentation of tumour antigens by dendritic cells and challenges faced. Current Opinion in Immunology, 22(1), pp. 137-144. (doi: 10.1016/j.coi.2010.01.002)

Abstract

The use of dendritic cells (DCs) for the generation of anti-tumour immunity has been the focus of a vast array of scientific and clinical studies. The ability of DCs to present protein tumour antigens (T-Ags) to CD4+ and CD8+ T cells is pivotal to the success of therapeutic cancer vaccines. DC's specialised capacity to cross-present exogenous Ags onto major histocompatibility (MHC) class I molecules for the generation of T-Ag-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) has made these cells the focal point of vaccine-based immunotherapy of cancer. However, although DC-based strategies can induce T cell responses in cancer patients, recent reviews of clinical studies demonstrate that DC-based approaches have essentially failed to meet their clinical end points. These findings highlight the need to re-evaluate the DC-based vaccine strategies and incorporate recent advancements in DC biology and tumour immunology. The current review considers the issues related to how best to target the Ag-processing pathway of DCs, the role of adjuvants, the appropriate conditioning of the DCs and strategies to overcome tumour-mediated immune escape.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Robson, Dr Neil
• Authors: Robson, N.C., Hoves, S., Maraskovsky, E., and Schnurr, M.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity
• Journal Name: Current Opinion in Immunology
• ISSN: 0952-7915