Table 1 Examples of clinical trials testing vaccination with ex vivo DCs
From: Relevance of immune cell and tumor microenvironment imaging in the new era of immunotherapy
Vaccine and antigen | Indication | Key observations |
|---|---|---|
GM-CSF–IL-4 DCs with or without HLA-A*0201-restricted peptides or peptides alone | Metastatic prostate cancer | One of the first studies that tested the immunogenicity of DCs |
GM-CSF–IL-4 DCs with peptides, tumour lysates or autologous tumour-eluted peptides | Stage IV melanoma, renal cell carcinoma and malignant glioma | Loading DCs with complex antigen preparations; Objective clinical responses |
Blood DCs and idiotype antigens | Multiple myeloma | Immunogenicity of DCs; Tumour regression |
Mature GM-CSF–IL-4 DCs and peptides | Stage IV melanoma | Well-controlled and validated vaccine manufacture process; Testing mature DCs; Immunogenicity; Objective clinical responses |
CD34+ HPC-derived DCs and peptides | Stage IV melanoma | One of the first studies to test CD34+ HPC-derived DCs; Loading vaccines with a mixture of well-defined peptides; Durable immune responses in long-term survivors; Objective clinical responses |
FLT3 ligand-expanded blood DCs and altered peptides | Advanced CEA+ cancer | Immunogenicity; Objective clinical responses |
Immature GM-CSF–IL-4 DCs | Healthy volunteers | Antigen-specific inhibition of effector T cell function after injection of immature DCs |
GM-CSF–IL-4 DCs and tumour lysates | Refractory pediatric solid tumors | Immunogenicity; Objective clinical responses |
Mature cryopreserved GM-CSF–IL-4 DCs | Stage IV melanoma | Immunogenicity |
DCs loaded with autologous tumour RNA | Colon cancer | Feasibility; Immunogenicity |
DCs loaded with killed allogeneic tumour cells | Stage IV melanoma | Immunogenicity; Durable objective clinical responses; Long-term survival |
Monocyte-derived DCs loaded with the NK T cell ligand α-galactosylceramide | Advanced cancer | Adjuvant effect of NK cell activation on CD8+ T cell-mediated immune response |
Monocyte-derived DCs | Melanoma | In vivo identification of antigen-specific immune response by PET imaging in patients |
Comparative study of CD34+ HPC-derived Langerhans cells versus monocyte-derived DCs | Melanoma | Langerhans cell-based vaccines stimulated significantly greater tyrosinase-HLA-A*0201 tetramer reactivity than the monocyte-derived DC vaccines |
Type 1-polarized monocyte-derived DCs | Glioma | Combination of DC vaccination with polyICLC to trigger systemic inflammation driven by type I interferon family members |