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Tumor Antigen and Epitope Identification for Preclinical and Clinical Evaluation

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Cancer Immunology

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Abstract

The aim of the immunotherapy and peptide therapeutics is to destroy cancer cells without eliciting lethal side effects and sustain the long-lasting immune memory. Targeting major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and class II epitopes and multiple tumor antigens has met with some clinical success, which is advantageous over single epitope vaccine strategies. Moreover, cancer immunotherapy and peptide therapeutics especially have demonstrated improved responses over that of the conventional treatments in patient groups where treatment options are limited. However, there are still obstacles to combating advanced cancer, where the immune system of the host is compromised. Thus implementing ways of overcoming states of immune tolerance, anergy, or suppression concomitant with a vaccine strategy to enhance adaptive immunity offers an attractive route for clinical intervention. Targeted therapies against defined tumor antigens involving the use of peptide-based vaccination offer potential for the future. Novel therapeutics relies on knowledge of peptide epitopes and awareness of how these can be used to activate appropriate tumor immunity. In this review we discuss many of the tumor antigens that have been discovered in the past two decades and their clinical utility alongside conventional cancer therapies.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. David Boocock for his valuable comments on the peptide sequencing and purification. This research is supported by the John and Lucille van Geest Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The John van Geest Cancer Research Centre, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Nottingham, NG11 8NS, UK

    Shraddha S. Rane BTech, MRes, PhD, Jaimy Mariam Sultana Javad MSc, PhD & Robert C. Rees PhD, BSc (Hons), FIBiol, MRCPath

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  1. Shraddha S. Rane BTech, MRes, PhD
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  2. Jaimy Mariam Sultana Javad MSc, PhD
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  3. Robert C. Rees PhD, BSc (Hons), FIBiol, MRCPath
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Correspondence to Robert C. Rees PhD, BSc (Hons), FIBiol, MRCPath .

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  1. Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Children’s Medical Center, Pediatrics Center of Excellence, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Nima Rezaei

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Rane, S.S., Javad, J.M.S., Rees, R.C. (2015). Tumor Antigen and Epitope Identification for Preclinical and Clinical Evaluation. In: Rezaei, N. (eds) Cancer Immunology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44946-2_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44946-2_4

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