hTERT-DC vaccine

The **hTERT-DC vaccine** is an autologous dendritic cell-based immunotherapy designed to elicit an immune response against cells expressing human telomerase reverse transcriptase (**hTERT**), which is a universal tumor-associated antigen overexpressed in the majority of cancers. The vaccine is manufactured by isolating dendritic cells from the patient, transfecting them with hTERT mRNA or loading them with hTERT peptides, and then re-administering these cells to the patient to stimulate a T-cell-mediated antitumor immune response. The primary mechanism involves the activation of both CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes and CD4+ helper T cells that recognize hTERT-derived peptides presented on tumor cells, leading to immune-mediated tumor cell lysis. It has been investigated mainly in hematologic malignancies (notably acute myeloid leukemia) and some solid tumors (e.g., pancreatic cancer, melanoma, various therapy-resistant cancers). The vaccine demonstrates a high degree of immunogenicity and a favorable safety profile, with mainly mild adverse events. Major developers and manufacturers are not explicitly named in published studies, as these are often investigator-sponsored or single-institution efforts; however, companies such as Asterias (for related therapies) and academic hospitals have been involved in research and early clinical trials[2][3][4][6].

Other names

hTERT mRNA dendritic cell vaccinehTERT-pulsed dendritic cell vaccinetelomerase-based dendritic cell vaccine