autologous DC vaccine + CD40L

Autologous DC vaccine + CD40L is a personalized cancer immunotherapy composed of dendritic cells (DCs) derived from the patient's own blood (autologous), which are matured and activated ex vivo. The maturation process often involves electroporation or transfection of mRNA encoding for co-stimulatory molecules such as CD40 ligand (CD40L), along with other potential immune-activating factors. The resulting mature DCs are loaded with tumor antigens—these can be peptides, neoantigens, tumor lysate, or mRNA from the patient’s tumor—and then administered back to the patient as a therapeutic vaccine. The presence of CD40L enhances the activation and maturation state of the dendritic cells, improving their ability to stimulate robust T-cell responses against tumor-associated antigens. After administration, these activated DCs migrate to lymph nodes where they present antigens to naïve T-cells and B-cells, leading to an adaptive anti-tumor immune response[3]. This approach is under investigation for various cancers in early-phase clinical trials.

Other names

autologous dendritic cell vaccine plus CD40 ligandautologous DC vaccine with CD40Lpersonalized antitumor DC vaccine with CD40L