MUC1 dendritic cell vaccine

The MUC1 dendritic cell vaccine is an investigational cancer immunotherapy designed to stimulate the immune system to recognize and attack tumor cells expressing the mucin 1 (MUC1) antigen. This therapy involves isolating a patient's own (autologous) dendritic cells, loading them ex vivo with a fusion protein or peptide derived from the extracellular region of human tumor-associated epithelial mucin 1 (MUC1), and then re-administering these antigen-pulsed cells as a therapeutic vaccine. The loaded dendritic cells present the MUC1 antigen to T-cells, inducing both humoral and cellular anti-tumor immune responses—specifically activating cytotoxic T lymphocytes that target and kill cancer cells overexpressing MUC1. Some versions of this approach also include additional antigens such as PD-L1 or Wilms tumor gene 1 (WT1) for broader immunogenicity[4][5][7]. The primary indications under investigation are solid tumors including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, breast cancer, and other cancers where high levels of MUC1 expression are observed[2][5][7]. Clinical studies have shown induction of specific anti-tumor immunity with some evidence for prolonged survival in patients receiving multiple vaccinations[2].

Other names

autologous MUC1-mannan fusion protein pulsed dendritic cell vaccineWT1/MUC1-DC vaccinationMUC1-Vax-DCsMUC-1-Vax-DCsMUC 1-Vax-DCsMUC1-VaxMUC-1-VaxMUC 1-Vax