A conjoined universal helper epitope can unveil antitumor effects of a neoantigen vaccine targeting an MHC class I-restricted neoepitope.

ABSTRACT: Personalized cancer vaccines targeting neoantigens arising from somatic missense mutations are currently being evaluated for the treatment of various cancers due to their potential to elicit a multivalent, tumor-specific immune response. Several cancers express a low number of neoantigens; in these cases, ensuring the immunotherapeutic potential of each neoantigen-derived epitope (neoepitope) is crucial. In this study, we discovered that therapeutic vaccines targeting immunodominant major histocompatibility complex (MHC) I-restricted neoepitopes require a conjoined helper epitope in order to induce a cytotoxic, neoepitope-specific CD8+ T-cell response. Furthermore, we show that the universally immunogenic helper epitope P30 can fulfill this requisite helper function. Remarkably, conjoined

SUBMITTER: Swartz AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7814002 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature