Dendritic-tumor fusion cells in cancer immunotherapy

Discov Med. 2015 Mar;19(104):169-74.

Abstract

A promising area of clinical investigation is the use of cancer immunotherapy to treat cancer patients. Dendritic cells (DCs) operate as professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and play a critical role in the induction of antitumor immune responses. Thus, DC-based cancer immunotherapy represents a powerful strategy. One DC-based cancer immunotherapy strategy that has been investigated is the administration of fusion cells generated with DCs and whole tumor cells (DC-tumor fusion cells). The DC-tumor fusion cells can process a broad array of tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), including unidentified molecules, and present them through major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II pathways in the context of co-stimulatory signals. Improving the therapeutic efficacy of DC-tumor fusion cell-based cancer immunotherapy requires increased immunogenicity of DCs and whole tumor cells. We discuss the potential ability of DC-tumor fusion cells to activate antigen-specific T cells and strategies to improve the immunogenicity of DC-tumor fusion cells as anticancer vaccines.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antigens, Neoplasm / immunology
  • Cancer Vaccines / therapeutic use
  • Cell Fusion
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Dendritic Cells / cytology*
  • Ethanol / chemistry
  • Humans
  • Immunosuppression Therapy
  • Immunotherapy / methods*
  • Major Histocompatibility Complex
  • Neoplasms / immunology*
  • Neoplasms / pathology*
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • Toll-Like Receptor 2 / chemistry
  • Toll-Like Receptor 4 / chemistry

Substances

  • Antigens, Neoplasm
  • Cancer Vaccines
  • TLR2 protein, human
  • TLR4 protein, human
  • Toll-Like Receptor 2
  • Toll-Like Receptor 4
  • Ethanol