title: Role of type I interferon in inducing a protective immune response: perspectives for clinical applications.
abstract: Type I IFNs (IFN-I) are antiviral cytokines endowed with many biological effects, including antitumor activity. Over the last 15 years, an ensemble of studies has revealed that these cytokines play a crucial role in the induction of a protective antitumor immune response. Early in vivo studies in mouse models have been instrumental for understanding the IFN-I-induced host-mediated mechanisms. IFN-α is currently recognized as a powerful inducer of the differentiation/activation of dendritic cells (DCs) and today IFN-α-conditioned DCs represent promising DC candidates for the development of therapeutic cancer vaccines. Moreover, data from pilot clinical trials support the concept of using IFN-α as an enhancer of the response of patients to cancer vaccines. Notably, endogenous IFN-I production does also play a critical role in the antitumor response to some chemotherapeutic agents. Thus, we can now envisage new strategies of clinical use of IFN-α, based on the injection of IFN-conditioned cells as well as the usage of these cytokines as cancer vaccine adjuvants, alone or in combination with other treatments (including epigenetic drugs) to induce an immunogenic cell death and a long lasting antitumor response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rizza
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Franca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moretti
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Imerio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Capone
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: filippo.belardelli@iss.it.
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Belardelli
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity; D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000818:Animals; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000276:immunology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051379:Mice; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D007370:Interferon Type I; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D014765:Viral Vaccines
keywords: Cancer immunotherapy; Dendritic cell; Immunity; Interferon; Vaccine adjuvant