Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen-presenting cells that initiate and maintain immune responses through their primary function in anti-cancer immunity.
They present cancer antigens to effector T cells, leading to the targeting and elimination of cancer cells. They can also stimulate immune memories that control cancer recurrence.
Several dendritic cell-based vaccines have been tested in patients with glioblastoma multiforme in phase I and II clinical trials.
A phase I clinical trial of a dendritic cell vaccine for newly diagnosed or recurrent glioblastoma patients resulted in adverse events and treatment-related toxicities.
This study used patients' own immunostimulatory dendritic cells, which were isolated and processed to enhance the immune response against cancer stem cells and injected subcutaneously in a series of vaccinations. Another phase I study investigated the use of CD133 peptides in a stem cell-based vaccine (ICT-121 DC vaccine), which has been clinically tested in patients with glioblastoma multiforme.
Finally, EPCAM-targeted CAR-T cells were created using genetically engineered T cells expressing a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), which binds to cancer cells that express the EPCAM protein on their cell surface. CAR-Ts are being clinically tested in patients and on various types of solid tumors.
