Pharmaceuticals (Sep 2021)

Implications of Antigen Selection on T Cell-Based Immunotherapy

  • Faye A. Camp,
  • Jill E. Slansky

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/ph14100993
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 10
p. 993

Abstract

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Many immunotherapies rely on CD8+ effector T cells to recognize and kill cognate tumor cells. These T cell-based immunotherapies include adoptive cell therapy, such as CAR T cells or transgenic TCR T cells, and anti-cancer vaccines which expand endogenous T cell populations. Tumor mutation burden and the choice of antigen are among the most important aspects of T cell-based immunotherapies. Here, we highlight various classes of cancer antigens, including self, neojunction-derived, human endogenous retrovirus (HERV)-derived, and somatic nucleotide variant (SNV)-derived antigens, and consider their utility in T cell-based immunotherapies. We further discuss the respective anti-tumor/anti-self-properties that influence both the degree of immunotolerance and potential off-target effects associated with each antigen class.

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