granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor + CD40 ligand + autologous tumor cell vaccine

This therapeutic vaccine is an autologous cell-based immunotherapy designed to elicit a potent anti-tumor immune response. It consists of a patient's own tumor cells that have been genetically modified, typically via an adenoviral vector, to express two key immunomodulatory proteins: granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and CD40 ligand (CD40L, also known as CD154). The autologous tumor cells provide a comprehensive array of patient-specific tumor-associated antigens. GM-CSF acts locally to recruit and differentiate professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs), such as dendritic cells, to the vaccination site. CD40L subsequently provides a critical activation signal to these APCs by binding to CD40, which induces maturation, upregulates co-stimulatory molecules (e.g., CD80 and CD86), and stimulates the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines like IL-12. This dual-action approach aims to bypass tumor-induced immunosuppression and prime a systemic, T-cell-mediated immune attack against both the primary tumor and metastatic lesions. Development has primarily focused on hematologic malignancies and specific solid tumors.

Other names

Ad-GM-CSF/CD40L-transduced autologous tumor cell vaccineCD40L/GM-CSF-expressing autologous tumor vaccineGM-CSF and CD40L-transduced autologous tumor cell vaccine