Oncogene Mutations: The Shared Antigen Vaccines That Work?

Rodrigo Paredes1,2, S Daniel Haldar3, Shubham Pant3

  • 1Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Morningside-West, New York, NY, USA.

Annual Review of Medicine
|December 5, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Oncogene-directed cancer vaccines targeting shared mutations offer a scalable alternative to neoantigen vaccines. These vaccines show promise in clinical trials for various cancers, especially in minimal residual disease settings.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Immunology
  • Vaccinology

Background:

  • Cancer immunotherapy has progressed with immune checkpoint inhibitors and T cell therapies.
  • Challenges remain in overcoming tumor immune evasion.
  • Neoantigen vaccines show promise but face scalability issues due to tumor heterogeneity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the evolution of oncogene-directed cancer vaccines.
  • To discuss their clinical impact and potential.
  • To explore future strategies for optimizing vaccine efficacy.

Main Methods:

  • Review of clinical trial data on oncogene-directed vaccines.
  • Analysis of shared oncogenic driver mutations (e.g., KRAS, EGFR, IDH) as vaccine targets.
  • Exploration of advances in vaccine delivery, adjuvants, and immune modulation.

Main Results:

  • Shared oncogenic driver mutations provide a stable and broadly applicable vaccine strategy.
  • Clinical trials demonstrate the immunogenicity of these vaccines.
  • Potential is shown in minimal residual disease settings.

Conclusions:

  • Oncogene-directed vaccines represent a promising, scalable approach to cancer immunotherapy.
  • Further advances in delivery and immune modulation are expected to enhance efficacy.
  • These vaccines hold significant potential for treating various cancers, particularly in overcoming immune evasion.

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