Open AccessCytokine gene‐mediated immunotherapy: Current status and future perspectives
Author(s) -
Jinushi Masahisa,
Tahara Hideaki
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
cancer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.035
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1349-7006
pISSN - 1347-9032
DOI - 10.1111/j.1349-7006.2009.01202.x
Subject(s) - immunotherapy , immune system , immunology , cancer immunotherapy , medicine , cytokine , granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor , dendritic cell , genetic enhancement , vaccination , cancer research , biology , gene , biochemistry
Recent understanding of the molecular events crucial in overcoming immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments and generating effective antitumor immunity provides us with the wreath opportunity to manipulate genes that have a key role in antitumor immune responses. Granulocyte‐macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) and interleukin‐12 (IL‐12) are two indispensable cytokines for activating dendritic cells and boosting the strong immune responses against cancer. In this review, we describe the antitumor mechanisms and clinical application of gene‐modified tumor cells and dendritic cells to secrete GM‐CSF or IL‐12, respectively, in various preclinical and clinical settings. The principles operative in these vaccination strategies may prove applicable to other immunotherapy strategies, especially in combination with other therapeutic modalities, such as chemotherapy and targeted therapy. ( Cancer Sci 2009)