autologous carcinoembryonic antigen-loaded dendritic cell vaccine

This autologous dendritic cell vaccine is a cell-based immunotherapy developed by researchers at Duke University, including H. Kim Lyerly and Michael A. Morse, for the treatment of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)-expressing solid tumors. The process involves harvesting a patient's peripheral blood mononuclear cells, differentiating them into dendritic cells using GM-CSF and IL-4, and loading them with CEA antigen—often via mRNA transfection or viral vectors such as fowlpox-CEA(6D)/TRICOM. Once re-infused, these mature dendritic cells present CEA epitopes to the patient's T cells, aiming to elicit a robust, tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte response. Clinical investigations have evaluated this vaccine both as a monotherapy and in combination with regulatory T cell-depleting agents like denileukin diftitox to enhance anti-tumor efficacy in patients with metastatic colorectal, breast, lung, and pancreatic cancers.

Other names

DC-CEA vaccineCEA-loaded dendritic cell vaccineautologous dendritic cells infected with CEA-6D expressing fowlpox-TRICOM