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Dendritic cell-based immunotherapy: a basic review and recent advances

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Abstract

Dendritic cells (DCs) are considered a very promising arm to activate the immune system in immunotherapeutic strategies against cancer. DCs are the most powerful antigen-presenting cells (APCs), being highly efficient at generating robust immune responses. They are also considered the center of the immune system, since they provide a crucial link between both innate and adaptive immune responses. Thus, DC-based cancer immunotherapy aims to take advantage of these unique characteristics of DCs to better fight cancer. During the last decade, they have been the subject of numerous studies intending to develop immunotherapeutic strategies against cancer through vaccination. For this purpose, it is essential to gain a better insight into DC immunobiology, regulation of innate and adaptive immune systems, and tumor microenvironment, as well as applying the latest advances in science in order to boost their enormous anti-tumor immunotherapeutic potential. In this review, we will hold focus on DC immunobiology (from their origin, location, and special properties and distinct subsets to the innate and adaptive immunity), on the new concept of cancer immunoediting, and on the knowledge given by clinical trials using DC vaccines. Finally, future perspectives for this emerging field are highlighted.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by HealthyAging2020 (ref. CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-000012) and co-funded by Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER), through the Programa Operacional Regional do Centro (CENTRO2020).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    João Constantino, Amílcar Falcão, Bruno Miguel Neves & Maria Teresa Cruz

  2. Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Life Sciences (IBILI), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Célia Gomes

  3. CNC.IBILI, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Célia Gomes, Amílcar Falcão, Bruno Miguel Neves & Maria Teresa Cruz

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  1. João Constantino
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  2. Célia Gomes
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Correspondence to Maria Teresa Cruz.

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Constantino, J., Gomes, C., Falcão, A. et al. Dendritic cell-based immunotherapy: a basic review and recent advances. Immunol Res 65, 798–810 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12026-017-8931-1

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