Dendritic Cells (DCs) and Cancer Immunotherapy: 2nd Edition
A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "Vaccination Against Cancer and Chronic Diseases".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 82
Special Issue Editor
2. Immunology Research Program, Henry Ford Cancer Institute, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, USA
Interests: dendritic cell vaccine; cancer immunotherapy; tumor immunity; cross-presentation; CD8 T cell immunity; exosomes
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Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most effective antigen-presenting cells and are capable of efficiently cross-presenting tumor-associated antigens and priming tumor antigen-specific CD8 T cells to combat tumors. This unique capability of DCs positions DC-based vaccines as one of the leading strategies in cancer immunotherapy. However, tumors frequently induce a state of tolerance in DCs, resulting in suppressed tumor immunity and limiting the effectiveness of DC-based cancer vaccines.
Several obstacles hinder the success of DC vaccines, including tumor-mediated immunosuppression and the functional limitations of DCs differentiated in vitro. To address these challenges, researchers are exploring alternatives such as DC-derived exosomes (DCexos), which have gained attention as potential cell-free therapeutic vaccines. Additionally, in vivo DC-targeted vaccines and the use of naturally circulating blood DCs offer promising strategies compared to in vitro cultured DCs. Nonetheless, there are significant gaps in our understanding of the fundamental biology of these approaches, such as how DCexos and different DC subsets prime T cells, which impedes their translation into clinical applications. Furthermore, an enhanced understanding of how DCs interact with other immune cells, such as other DCs, B cells, and NK cells, is crucial in fully realizing the potential of DC-based vaccines.
This Special Issue welcomes new research articles and reviews that explore all aspects of dendritic cells and their contributions to vaccine development and cancer immunotherapy.
Dr. Aimin Jiang
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- dendritic cell vaccine
- cancer immunotherapy
- immune checkpoint blockade
- tumor immunity
- CD8 T cell immunity
- exosomes
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- Dendritic Cells (DCs) and Cancer Immunotherapy in Vaccines (4 articles)