Directing Dendritic Cell Immunotherapy Towards Successful Cancer Treatment

Abstract

The use of dendritic cells (DCs) for tumor immunotherapy represents a powerful approach for harnessing the patient‘s own immune system to eliminate tumor cells. However, suboptimal conditions for generating potent immunostimulatory DCs, as well as the induction of tolerance and suppression mediated by the tumors and its microenvironment have contributed to limited success. Combining DC vaccines with new approaches that enhance immunogenicity and overcome the regulatory mechanisms underlying peripheral tolerance may be the key to achieving effective and durable anti-tumor immune responses that translate to better clinical outcomes.

KEYWORDS::

• dendritic cell
• tumor immunotherapy
• vaccination

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have received financial support from the following: NIH (AI061684, AI071078 and AI044628), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Cancer Research Institute, Alliance for Lupus Research, and the Emerald Foundation. Nina Bhardwaj is a coinventor on patents relating to the preparation and use of dendritic cells to manipulate immunity. 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.

Additional information

Funding

The authors have received financial support from the following: NIH (AI061684, AI071078 and AI044628), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Cancer Research Institute, Alliance for Lupus Research, and the Emerald Foundation. Nina Bhardwaj is a coinventor on patents relating to the preparation and use of dendritic cells to manipulate immunity. 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.