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Updated: Jan 8, 2026

Preparation of Tumor Antigen-loaded Mature Dendritic Cells for Immunotherapy
Published on: August 1, 2013
The emerging role of dendritic cells in the tumor microenvironment: from antigen presentation to targeted
Zhiyuan Xie1, Yingjun Fang2, Xinhao Zhang3
1The First Clinical School of Medicine, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
Abstract:
Dendritic cells (DCs), as pivotal antigen-presenting cells (APCs), play crucial roles in initiating T cell-mediated antitumor immune responses, bridging innate and adaptive immunity while maintaining immune tolerance. With an in-depth understanding of DC biology and functions, numerous DC-targeted therapeutic approaches have been developed. An enhanced understanding of DC heterogeneity and DC cross-talk with other cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME), along with functional and metabolic remodeling mechanisms, may optimize DC-based cancer immunotherapies. This review focuses on the heterogeneity of the individual occurrence and function of DCs in tumors, elucidates the cross-talk between DCs and other cells in the TME, provides an in-depth understanding of the dysfunction and metabolic reprogramming of DCs in the TME, and summarizes existing DC-based anticancer therapies and novel therapeutic strategies, with the aim of providing new insight into the emerging role of DCs in future cancer immunotherapy.
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