Biomaterial-Based Activation and Expansion of Tumor-Specific T Cells

Biomaterial-Based Activation and Expansion of Tumor-Specific T Cells Marjolein Schluck1,2, Roel Hammink1,2, Carl G. Figdor1,2,3, Martijn Verdoes1,3*† and Jorieke Weiden1,2,3*† 1Department of Tumor Immunology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands 2Division of Immunotherapy, Oncode Institute, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands 3Institute for Chemical Immunology, Nijmegen, Netherlands Traditional tumor vaccination approaches mostly focus on activating dendritic cells (DCs) by providing them with a source of tumor antigens and/or adjuvants, which in turn activate tumor-reactive T cells. Novel biomaterial-based cancer immunotherapeutic strategies focus on directly activating and stimulating T cells through molecular cues presented on synthetic constructs with the aim of improving T cell survival, more precisely steer T cell activation and direct T cell differentiation. Synthetic artificial antigen presenting cells (aAPCs) decorated with T cell-activating ligands are being developed to induce robust tumor-specific T cell responses, essentially bypassing DCs. In this perspective, we approach these promising new technologies from an immunological angle, first by identifying the CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subtypes that are imperative for robust anti-cancer immunity and subsequently discussing the molecular cues needed to induce these cells types. We will elaborate on h...
Source: Frontiers in Immunology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Source Type: research