Functional evaluation of dendritic cells and extracellular vesicles as immunotherapy for breast cancer

Oncogene. 2024 Jan;43(5):319-327. doi: 10.1038/s41388-023-02893-2. Epub 2023 Nov 29.

Abstract

Dendritic cells (DCs) play critical roles in recognizing and presenting antigens to T cells. They secrete dendritic cell-derived extracellular vesicles (DC-sEVs), which could mimic the function of DCs. Therefore, we explore the possibility of using DC-sEVs as a potential personalized vaccine in this study. We compared the efficacy of DCs and DC-sEVs on stimulating the immune system to target breast cancer cells and found that DC-sEVs had significantly more MHC molecules on the surface when compared to the parental DCs. In our in vivo and in vitro testing, Dc-sEVs showed significant advantages over DCs, regarding efficacy, safety, storage, and potential delivery advantages. DC-sEVs were able to suppress the growth of immune-cold breast tumors, while DCs failed to do so. These results indicate the strong potential utility of DC-sEVs as a personalized immunotherapy for breast cancer.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Breast Neoplasms* / therapy
  • Dendritic Cells
  • Extracellular Vesicles*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy / methods
  • T-Lymphocytes