iPSC-derived cancer vaccine

The iPSC-derived cancer vaccine is an experimental immunotherapy that leverages the shared antigenic repertoire between induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and cancer stem cells (CSCs). Developed by researchers at institutions including INSERM and Université Paris-Saclay, the vaccine strategy involves loading dendritic cells (DCs) with lysates derived from iPSC lines. These primed DCs then activate and expand cytotoxic CD8+ T cells that can recognize and eliminate cancer cells expressing embryonic or stemness-related antigens. This approach is designed as an off-the-shelf therapy to target aggressive, metastatic tumors that harbor high stemness features, such as melanoma, triple-negative breast cancer, and glioblastoma. Preclinical studies have demonstrated that these activated T cells exhibit an effector phenotype marked by the expression of CD137, CD107a, IFN-γ, and TNF-α, leading to significant lysis of various human cancer cell lines.

Other names

iPSC-based cancer vaccineiPSC-based vaccine