Evaluation of cellular immune responses in cancer vaccine recipients: lessons from NY-ESO-1

Abstract

The rigorous evaluation of cancer vaccination requires evidence of benefit to patients with cancer or those at risk of relapse from the disease. Clinical trials are expensive and require considerable human and clinical resources in order to demonstrate this benefit. In the era of defined cancer antigens, it is possible to evaluate immunogenic targets, and assess the quality and magnitude of immune responses against these antigens following vaccination. Analyzing these surrogate end points complements clinical assessment and provides a depth of understanding to better inform trial evaluation and design. We have used the immunogenic cancer testis antigen NY-ESO-1 as a model antigen. This article summarizes our experience in monitoring immunity against NY-ESO-1.

Keywords::

• cancer testis antigen
• cancer vaccine
• CD4⁺ T lymphocyte
• CD8⁺ T lymphocyte
• immune monitoring
• NY-ESO-1
• Treg

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Support for laboratory studies into cancer vaccines at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (LICR) Melbourne has been gratefully received from the Cancer Vaccine Collaborative, Cancer Research Institute and LICR. Lisa Ebert is a recipient of a Grant-in-Aid from the Cancer Council Victoria (#603103). Jonathan Cebon is a National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia) Practitioner Fellow. He also has research collaborations with GlaxoSmithKline Ltd, who have acquired a license to develop vaccines against NY-ESO-1. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript