Metabolic immune restraints: implications for anticancer vaccines.
Metabolic immune restraints belong to a highly complex network of molecular mechanisms underlying the failure of naturally occurring and therapeutically induced immune responses against cancer. In the light of the disappointing results yielded so far with anticancer vaccines in the clinical setting, the dissection of the cascade of molecular events leading to tumor immune escape appears the most promising way to develop more effective immunotherapeutic strategies. Here we review the significant advances recently made in the understanding of the tumor-specific metabolic features that contribute to keep malignant cells from being recognized and destroyed by immune effectors. These mechanistic insights are fostering the development of rationally designed therapeutics aimed to revert the immunosuppressive circuits and thus to enhance the effectiveness of anticancer vaccines.
Mocellin
Simone
S
Department of Oncological and Surgical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy. mocellins@hotmail.com
D000818:Animals; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D015195:Drug Design; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D006801:Humans; D007157:Immunologic Surveillance; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*
D019496:Cancer Vaccines