Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 3, 2025

Non-Viral Engineering of Primary Human T Cells via Homology-Mediated End-Joining Targeted Integration of Large DNA Templates
06:10

Non-Viral Engineering of Primary Human T Cells via Homology-Mediated End-Joining Targeted Integration of Large DNA Templates

Published on: May 9, 2025

415

Dark genome, bright ideas: Recent approaches to harness transposable elements in immunotherapies

Ashley Reid Cahn1, Nina Bhardwaj2, Nicolas Vabret1

  • 1Tisch Cancer Institute, Precision Immunology Institute, Department of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA.

Cancer Cell
|July 30, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Transposable elements (TEs) are key players in cancer immunity. Harnessing their immunogenicity offers novel strategies for cancer immunotherapy.

Area of Science:

  • Genomics
  • Immunology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Transposable elements (TEs) constitute a significant portion of the human genome.
  • Altered expression of TEs is frequently observed in various cancer types.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advancements in understanding the role of TEs in mediating cancer immune responses.
  • To explore therapeutic strategies that leverage TE immunogenicity for cancer immunotherapy.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of recent research on transposable elements and cancer immunology.
  • Analysis of studies investigating the immunomodulatory functions of TEs in cancer.
  • Discussion of emerging immunotherapeutic approaches targeting TEs.

Main Results:

  • TEs can influence the tumor microenvironment and immune cell activity.
  • TE-derived antigens can be recognized by the immune system, potentially eliciting anti-tumor responses.
  • Dysregulated TE expression can contribute to both immune evasion and immune activation in cancer.

Conclusions:

  • Transposable elements play a complex role in cancer immunity.
  • Targeting TE immunogenicity presents a promising avenue for developing novel cancer immunotherapies.
  • Further research is needed to fully elucidate TE-mediated immune mechanisms in cancer.

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