Therapeutic Autologous Dendritic Cells (Mayo Clinic)

This investigational autologous dendritic cell-based immunotherapy is being developed by the Mayo Clinic for the treatment of unresectable primary liver cancers, specifically hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA). The therapy involves harvesting a patient's own white blood cells, which are then differentiated into dendritic cells in a specialized laboratory and trained to stimulate the immune system. These cells are administered via intratumoral injection following high-dose external beam radiotherapy (EBRT). This approach aims to leverage the 'abscopal effect' or 'in-situ vaccination,' where radiation-induced tumor cell death releases antigens that the injected dendritic cells capture and present to the immune system. In clinical protocols (such as study MC1641), this cell therapy is used in combination with the pneumococcal vaccine Prevnar (to provide additional immune stimulation) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (atezolizumab/bevacizumab or durvalumab) to overcome the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and induce a systemic anti-tumor response.

Other names

Therapeutic Autologous Dendritic CellsAutologous Dendritic Cell VaccineIntratumoral Autologous Dendritic Cells