Dendritic cell-based immunotherapy: a basic review and recent advances

Dendritic cells (DCs) are considered a very promising arm to activate the immune system in immunotherapeutic strategies against cancer. DCs are the most powerful antigen-presenting cells (APCs), being highly efficient at generating robust immune responses. They are also considered the center of the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Immunologic research 2017-08, Vol.65 (4), p.798-810
Main Authors: Constantino, João, Gomes, Célia, Falcão, Amílcar, Neves, Bruno Miguel, Cruz, Maria Teresa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptive Immunity
Adaptive systems
Allergology
Animals
Antigen-presenting cells
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Cancer
Cancer immunotherapy
Cancer Vaccines - immunology
Clinical trials
Clinical Trials as Topic
Dendritic cells
Dendritic Cells - immunology
Dendritic Cells - transplantation
Humans
Immune response
Immune system
Immunity, Innate
Immunology
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy, Adoptive - methods
Internal Medicine
Medical research
Medicine/Public Health
Neoplasms - immunology
Neoplasms - therapy
Review
T cell receptors
Tumor Microenvironment
Vaccines
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Summary:Dendritic cells (DCs) are considered a very promising arm to activate the immune system in immunotherapeutic strategies against cancer. DCs are the most powerful antigen-presenting cells (APCs), being highly efficient at generating robust immune responses. They are also considered the center of the immune system, since they provide a crucial link between both innate and adaptive immune responses. Thus, DC-based cancer immunotherapy aims to take advantage of these unique characteristics of DCs to better fight cancer. During the last decade, they have been the subject of numerous studies intending to develop immunotherapeutic strategies against cancer through vaccination. For this purpose, it is essential to gain a better insight into DC immunobiology, regulation of innate and adaptive immune systems, and tumor microenvironment, as well as applying the latest advances in science in order to boost their enormous anti-tumor immunotherapeutic potential. In this review, we will hold focus on DC immunobiology (from their origin, location, and special properties and distinct subsets to the innate and adaptive immunity), on the new concept of cancer immunoediting, and on the knowledge given by clinical trials using DC vaccines. Finally, future perspectives for this emerging field are highlighted.
ISSN:0257-277X
1559-0755
DOI:10.1007/s12026-017-8931-1