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Therapeutic vaccine strategies to induce tumor-specific T-cell responses

Abstract

Haploidentical stem cell transplantation is increasingly used worldwide as an alternative donor transplantation method. Although novel preparative regimens and T-cell deletion techniques have improved engraftment rates and viral safety, relapses of the underlying leukemia/lymphoma are still frequent, thus representing a significant and unsolved problem. Recent technological advances now enable us to individually decipher the MHC-associated immunopeptidome of cancer cells in reasonable time. These tumor-specific peptides can then be used to skew the early immune reconstitution toward anti-leukemia T-cell responses. In this meeting contribution, we summarize recent innovations in the field and present preliminary data on using this technique for cancer epitope discovery in a paradigmatic pediatric brain tumor with very low mutational burden.

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Funding

Publication of this supplement was sponsored by Gilead Sciences Europe Ltd, Cell Source, Inc., The Chorafas Institute for Scientific Exchange of the Weizmann Institute of Science, Kiadis Pharma, Miltenyi Biotec, Celgene, Centro Servizi Congressuali, and Almog Diagnostic.

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Correspondence to Matthias Eyrich.

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ME received a research grant from Cell Source, Inc. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Marcu, A., Eyrich, M. Therapeutic vaccine strategies to induce tumor-specific T-cell responses. Bone Marrow Transplant 54 (Suppl 2), 806–809 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41409-019-0619-9

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