Dendritic cell vaccine for the treatment of cancer

Abstract

Dendritic cells (DCs) serve as sentinels for the immune system, antigen-specific immune responses are initiated and regulated. Cross-priming, a mechanism in which DCs activate CD8 T cells by presenting external antigens to their major histocompatibility complex is crucial for CD8 T cell immunity and tolerance. Immunosuppression caused by tumors and the functional restriction of routinely utilized dendritic cells generated from monocytes are two important obstacles to the effectiveness of DC-based vaccinations. Exosomes generated from DC have piqued interest as cell-free therapeutic agents due to being inert vesicles, they are resistant to tumor-mediated suppression. Another fascinating breakthrough is the utilization of DCs that circulate naturally rather than in vitro grown DCs, which has demonstrated encouraging effects in clinical trials with both human blood cyclin dependent kinase and plasmacytoid DCs.