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Telomerase as a Target for Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines and Considerations for Optimizing Their Clinical Potential

Espen Basmo Ellingsen1,2,3, Sara M Mangsbo4,5, Eivind Hovig1,6

  • 1Department of Tumor Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway.

Frontiers in Immunology
|July 22, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Telomerase-based therapeutic cancer vaccines (TCVs) show promise for cancer treatment. Optimizing TCV design and combining them with therapies like checkpoint inhibitors is key to their clinical success.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Immunology
  • Vaccine Development

Background:

  • Telomerase is a key enzyme in cancer, essential for tumor growth and present in most cancers.
  • Telomerase-based therapeutic cancer vaccines (TCVs) have been explored for two decades.
  • TCVs are gaining new interest for enhancing checkpoint inhibitor efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review tumor telomerase biology relevant to therapeutic vaccination.
  • To provide insights into optimal TCV design and combination strategies.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on telomerase biology and cancer vaccines.
  • Analysis of factors influencing TCV efficacy, including tumor microenvironment and telomerase expression.

Main Results:

  • Tumor types with high telomerase expression and immune-permissive microenvironments are ideal for TCVs.
  • TCVs alone may not be sufficient; combination therapies are crucial.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding telomerase biology is vital for effective TCV development.
  • Combining TCVs with other treatments, like checkpoint inhibitors, is necessary to realize their full clinical potential.
Keywords:
cancercancer vaccinehTERTimmune responseimmuno-oncologyimmunotherapymelanomatelomerase

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