Cancers, Vol. 12, Pages 1660: Uncovering the Tumor Antigen Landscape: What to Know about the Discovery Process

Cancers, Vol. 12, Pages 1660: Uncovering the Tumor Antigen Landscape: What to Know about the Discovery Process Cancers doi: 10.3390/cancers12061660 Authors: Sara Feola Jacopo Chiaro Beatriz Martins Vincenzo Cerullo According to the latest available data, cancer is the second leading cause of death, highlighting the need for novel cancer therapeutic approaches. In this context, immunotherapy is emerging as a reliable first-line treatment for many cancers, particularly metastatic melanoma. Indeed, cancer immunotherapy has attracted great interest following the recent clinical approval of antibodies targeting immune checkpoint molecules, such as PD-1, PD-L1, and CTLA-4, that release the brakes of the immune system, thus reviving a field otherwise poorly explored. Cancer immunotherapy mainly relies on the generation and stimulation of cytotoxic CD8 T lymphocytes (CTLs) within the tumor microenvironment (TME), priming T cells and establishing efficient and durable anti-tumor immunity. Therefore, there is a clear need to define and identify immunogenic T cell epitopes to use in therapeutic cancer vaccines. Naturally presented antigens in the human leucocyte antigen-1 (HLA-I) complex on the tumor surface are the main protagonists in evocating a specific anti-tumor CD8+ T cell response. However, the methodologies for their identification have been a major bottleneck for their reliable characterization. Consequently, the field of antigen discovery has yet to improve. The...
Source: Cancers - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research