Vahidi Sogand, Zabeti Touchaei Arefeh
Medical Biology Research Center, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
Department of Chemistry, Lahijan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Lahijan, Iran.
Cancer Cell Int. 2024 Dec 20;24(1):421. doi: 10.1186/s12935-024-03624-7.
Telomerase, an enzyme crucial for maintaining telomere length, plays a critical role in cellular immortality and is overexpressed in most cancers. This ubiquitous presence makes telomerase, and specifically its catalytic subunit, human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), an attractive target for cancer immunotherapy. This review explores the development and application of telomerase-based vaccines, focusing on DNA and peptide-based approaches. While DNA vaccines demonstrate promising immunogenicity, peptide vaccines, such as UV1, UCPVax, and Vx-001, have shown clinical efficacy in certain cancer types. Recent advancements in vaccine design, including multiple peptides and adjuvants, have enhanced immune responses. However, challenges remain in achieving consistent and durable anti-tumor immunity. Accordingly, we discuss the mechanisms of action, preclinical and clinical data, and the potential of these vaccines to elicit robust and durable anti-tumor immune responses. This review highlights the potential of telomerase-based vaccines as a promising strategy for cancer treatment and identifies areas for future research.
端粒酶是一种对维持端粒长度至关重要的酶，在细胞永生中起着关键作用，且在大多数癌症中过度表达。这种普遍存在使得端粒酶，特别是其催化亚基人端粒酶逆转录酶（hTERT），成为癌症免疫治疗的一个有吸引力的靶点。本综述探讨了基于端粒酶的疫苗的开发和应用，重点关注基于DNA和肽的方法。虽然DNA疫苗显示出有前景的免疫原性，但肽疫苗，如UV1、UCPVax和Vx - 001，已在某些癌症类型中显示出临床疗效。疫苗设计的最新进展，包括多种肽和佐剂，增强了免疫反应。然而，在实现持续和持久的抗肿瘤免疫方面仍存在挑战。因此，我们讨论了这些疫苗的作用机制、临床前和临床数据，以及它们引发强大而持久的抗肿瘤免疫反应的潜力。本综述强调了基于端粒酶的疫苗作为一种有前景的癌症治疗策略的潜力，并确定了未来研究的领域。
