Profile of a serial killer: cellular and molecular approaches to study individual cytotoxic T-cells following therapeutic vaccination.
T-cell vaccination may prevent or treat cancer and infectious diseases, but further progress is required to increase clinical efficacy. Step-by-step improvements of T-cell vaccination in phase I/II clinical studies combined with very detailed analysis of T-cell responses at the single cell level are the strategy of choice for the identification of the most promising vaccine candidates for testing in subsequent large-scale phase III clinical trials. Major aims are to fully identify the most efficient T-cells in anticancer therapy, to characterize their TCRs, and to pinpoint the mechanisms of T-cell recruitment and function in well-defined clinical situations. Here we discuss novel strategies for the assessment of human T-cell responses, revealing in part unprecedented insight into T-cell biology and novel structural principles that govern TCR-pMHC recognition. Together, the described approaches advance our knowledge of T-cell mediated-protection from human diseases.
Department of Research, University Hospital Center (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), c/o HO, Niv 5, Labo 1532, Avenue Pierre-Decker 4, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Emanuela M
EM
Iancu
Petra
P
Baumgaertner
Sébastien
S
Wieckowski
Daniel E
DE
Speiser
Nathalie
N
Rufer
D000818:Animals; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000378:metabolism*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D017321:Clinical Trials, Phase I as Topic; D017322:Clinical Trials, Phase II as Topic; D017326:Clinical Trials, Phase III as Topic; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex; D008545:Melanoma / Q000628:therapy; D051379:Mice; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*; D010641:Phenotype; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000378:metabolism; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology
D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell