In the United States, cancer is the second leading cause of death. One promising therapy is in the development of cancer vaccines which have thus far been hindered by a lack of efficacy. This is largely because cancers develop an immunosuppressive environment which dampens our immune systems ability to respond effectively to infection. This article published in the Trends in Cancer, from the Gemechu lab (authors include previous students of Dr. Yohannes Gemechu Hailu – James Adeosun, Clare College, Cambridge University, and Yuki Agarwala, Imperial College) focuses on two key cell types capable of influencing the microenvironment to overcome immunosuppression: macrophages and regulatory T cells.
In the article is a highlight of exciting new research that indicates several possible directions to manipulate these cells, including combining cancer vaccines with other established cancer treatments and using stimulatory vaccine-delivery scaffolds to improve outcomes. The forum article summarizes suggestions to maintain immunogenicity and for future work in clinical trials.
We hope this inspires researchers in the field to explore novel directions, helping to overcome existing hurdles in cancer vaccine development.
