Antigen-presenting cell reprogramming

Antigen-presenting cell reprogramming refers to the direct conversion of non-APC cells (such as cancer cells or fibroblasts) into functional, antigen-presenting cells—most commonly toward a conventional dendritic cell type 1 (cDC1)-like phenotype—through forced expression of lineage-defining transcription factors such as PU.1, IRF8, and BATF3[2][6][7]. These reprogrammed cells upregulate surface molecules for antigen processing and presentation (e.g., MHC class I and II, CD45, co-stimulatory molecules), acquire a dendritic cell-like transcriptional profile, and become capable of activating T cells against tumor antigens, thereby boosting anti-tumor immunity and overcoming some immune evasion mechanisms[5][6][8]. This technology holds promise for cancer immunotherapy, particularly when combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors, but is a biological approach rather than a tractable single molecular target; hence, it is not classified as a classic druggable target like a receptor, enzyme, or ion channel[2][4][5][6].

Other names

induced tumor-antigen-presenting celltumor-APC reprogrammingAPC reprogrammingdirect APC reprogrammingtumor cell-to-APC reprogramming