Cancer vaccines: Discovery, development, and challenges for clinical translation

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Immunology
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Cancer vaccines are emerging as a promising therapeutic strategy by stimulating antitumor immunity.
• Recent successes, like mRNA-based vaccines for melanoma, highlight the clinical feasibility of antigen-based cancer vaccines.
• Effective cancer vaccine development requires robust tumor antigen identification, optimized treatment strategies, and efficient delivery systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current methods in cancer vaccine development, covering tumor antigen screening, vaccine design, and clinical treatment strategies.
• To highlight recent advancements and novel approaches in the field of cancer vaccines.
• To provide insights into future directions for cancer vaccine development and global clinical translation.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent literature and strategies in cancer vaccine development.
• Elaboration on methods for tumor antigen screening, including artificial intelligence-assisted models.
• Discussion of novel delivery platforms designed to enhance payload delivery and immune responses.

Main Results:

• Artificial intelligence is increasingly applied to facilitate tumor antigen screening.
• Novel delivery platforms are being developed to improve vaccine efficacy and antitumor immune responses.
• The review illustrates recent strategies that enhance cancer vaccine development and clinical translation.

Conclusions:

• Cancer vaccine development is advancing through improved antigen screening, novel delivery systems, and AI integration.
• These advancements are crucial for enhancing antitumor immunity and improving clinical outcomes.
• The review offers valuable insights for the future trajectory of cancer vaccine research and global implementation.