Selecting Target Antigens for Cancer Vaccine Development

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Oncology
• Vaccinology

Background:

• Cancer immunotherapy aims to develop therapeutic cancer vaccines to induce tumor-specific T cell responses.
• Personalization of cancer vaccines is a recent focus, but clinical efficacy remains disappointing despite promising preclinical data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review target tumor antigens used in recent therapeutic cancer vaccine strategies.
• To explore novel classes of tumor antigens for improved vaccine development.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of therapeutic cancer vaccine strategies.
• Analysis of tumor antigens, including self-antigens, HERVs, unconventional antigens, and heteroclitic peptides.

Main Results:

• Most current cancer vaccines utilize overexpressed self-antigens, which elicit low-affinity T cell receptors (TCRs).
• Low-affinity TCRs are insufficient for effective anti-tumor responses, contributing to clinical trial failures.

Conclusions:

• Identifying unique or tumor-specific antigens is crucial for successful therapeutic cancer vaccines.
• Emerging antigen classes like HERVs and heteroclitic peptides offer potential for more effective anti-tumor immunity.