Overview Of Dendritic Cell Vaccines For Brain Tumors

Brain tumors are a diverse group of biologically and pathologically distinct intracranial neoplasms that include tumors of neuroepithelial tissue gliomas meningeal tumors and primary lymphomas of the central nervous system non gliomas see buckner et al 2007 for review.

Overview of dendritic cell vaccines for brain tumors.

Dendritic cells dcs are powerful antigen presenting cells for the induction of antigen specific t cell response. However this treatment fails to show clinical benefit in many patients. Dendritic cells guide the response of t cells to fight off invaders. Additionally in the presence of a tumor there can be significant blood brain barrier breakdown as well as tumor infiltrating dendritic cells macrophages and b and t lymphocytes.

Tumor cells however hijack the immune system causing t cell exhaustion and dc dysfunction. It s made with tissue from each participant s brain tumor. This is combined with dendritic immune cells from the person s blood. Dc based immunotherapy is safe and can promote antitumor immune responses and prolonged survival of cancer patients.

Gliomas typically arise from two different cell types in the brain astrocytes or oligodendrocytes. That being said once inside the cns the action of the immune system and the potential for antitumor response is markedly different from other sites in the body. Dendritic cells dcs are essential in immunity owing to their role in activating t cells thereby promoting antitumor responses. Tumor induced t cell exhaustion may be reversed through immune checkpoint blockade icb.

4 clinical trials underway have demonstrated the successful application of dc vaccines to induce antitumor. Of the various forms of immunotherapy dendritic cell dc based therapies are well situated to be used to induce antitumor immunity given the specialized ability of dcs to both prime and or boost innate and adaptive immune responses.