Cancer vaccines based on dendritic cells loaded with tumor-associated antigens

Dendritic cells (DCs) can be used as an antigen presentation platform for v accination against cancer. In this approach, DCs are expanded in vitro from monocyte-derived progenitors, and subsequently loaded with well-characteri zed tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). TAAs can be incubated with DCs in var ious forms, including peptides, recombinant proteins, plasmid DNA, formulat ed RNA, or recombinant viruses. Advantages and limitations of DC-based cell ular vaccines against cancers, as well as preliminary results of clinical s tudies already performed in humans, are discussed. Importantly, significant advances in our understanding of the biology of DCs can be used to support the design of new vaccines or adjuvants in order to elicit T(H)1 cellular immune responses.