H3K27M altered peptide ligand vaccine

The H3K27M altered peptide ligand (APL) vaccine is an experimental peptide-based immunotherapy designed for the treatment of H3K27M-mutant gliomas, such as diffuse midline gliomas. It represents a synthetic optimization of the 27-mer H3K27M long peptide vaccine previously evaluated in Phase 1 clinical trials. The optimization strategy involves modifying the peptide's anchor residues to enhance its interaction with the MHC class II molecule, specifically targeting the HLA-DRB1 P1 pocket. By increasing the stability of the peptide-MHC complex, the APL vaccine aims to elicit more potent and durable mutation-specific CD4+ T cell responses than the wild-type peptide. Developed by researchers at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and Heidelberg University, the vaccine has shown enhanced T cell responses and cross-reactivity in humanized mouse models and is undergoing further preclinical evaluation for therapeutic efficacy.

Other names

H3K27M APL vaccineH-3K27M APL vaccineH 3K27M APL vaccineoptimized H3K27M long peptide vaccine