MUCIN-4 (MUC4) is a novel tumor antigen in pancreatic cancer immunotherapy.

MUCIN-4 (MUC4) is a novel tumor antigen in pancreatic cancer immunotherapy. Semin Immunol. 2020 Jan 14;:101391 Authors: Gautam SK, Kumar S, Dam V, Ghersi D, Jain M, Batra SK Abstract Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a highly lethal malignancy with a dismal five-year survival rate. This is due to its asymptomatic nature, lack of reliable biomarkers, poor resectability, early metastasis, and high recurrence rate. Limited efficacies of current treatment modalities treatment-associated toxicity underscore the need for the development of immunotherapy-based approaches. For non-resectable, locally advanced metastatic PC, immunotherapy-based approaches including vaccines, antibody-targeted, immune checkpoint inhibition, CAR-T-cells, and adoptive T-cell transfer could be valuable additions to existing treatment modalities. Thus far, the vaccine candidates in PC have demonstrated modest immunological responses in different treatment modalities. The identification of tumor-associated antigens (TAA) and their successful implication in PC treatment is still a challenge. MUC4, a high molecular weight glycoprotein that functionally contributes to PC pathogenesis, is an attractive TAA. It is not detected in the normal pancreas; however, it is overexpressed in mouse and human pancreatic tumors. The recombinant MUC4 domain, as well as predicted immunogenic T-cell epitopes, elicited cellular and humoral anti-MUC4 response, suggesting its ulility as a vaccine...
Source: Seminars in Immunology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Tags: Semin Immunol Source Type: research