Hepatocellular carcinoma tumor-associated antigens and neoantigens (HCC TAAs/Neoantigens)

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) and neoantigens represent a diverse group of proteins and peptides that are either overexpressed in liver cancer cells or arise from tumor-specific somatic mutations. TAAs, such as Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and Glypican-3 (GPC3), are often oncofetal proteins that are normally silenced in adult tissues but reactivated during oncogenesis, providing a window for therapeutic targeting with minimal damage to healthy liver tissue (Source: NIH, PubMed). Neoantigens, conversely, are entirely unique to the tumor and result from non-synonymous mutations, making them highly immunogenic as they bypass central thymic tolerance (Source: Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology). These antigens serve as the primary targets for advanced immunotherapies, including cancer vaccines, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies, and TCR-engineered T-cells. By leveraging the specificity of these antigens, clinicians aim to induce a robust, tumor-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte response to eradicate HCC cells while sparing normal hepatocytes.

Other names

HCC tumor antigensHCC neoantigensHepatoma-associated antigensLiver cancer-specific antigens

Induction of antigen-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) responses, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), and CAR-T/TCR-T mediated direct cell lysis.