Leukemia-associated antigen peptide-HLA complex (LAA-HLA complex) (LAA-HLA complex)

Leukemia-associated antigen (LAA) peptides presented on Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) molecules are a critical class of targets for immunotherapy in hematologic malignancies (Source: AACR Journals, 2024). These targets consist of short peptide fragments derived from intracellular proteins—such as WT1, PRAME, or mutated neoantigens—that are processed by the proteasome and displayed on the cell surface by HLA Class I or II molecules (Source: NIH, 2020). This presentation allows the adaptive immune system, particularly T-cells, to distinguish malignant leukemia cells from healthy tissues (Source: Nature Reviews Immunology, 2023). Therapeutic strategies targeting these complexes include peptide vaccines like Galinpepimut-S, TCR-engineered T-cells (TCR-T), and TCR-mimic (mTCR) antibodies, which can access the intracellular proteome (Source: Sellas Life Sciences, 2024; Source: MSKCC, 2021). These therapies aim to induce durable remission by eliminating residual leukemia stem cells and providing ongoing immune surveillance (Source: MD Anderson, 2024). However, challenges such as the high polymorphism of HLA alleles and the potential for immune escape through antigen loss or HLA downregulation remain significant hurdles in clinical development (Source: AACR Journals, 2024; Source: NIH, 2016).

Other names

Leukemia-associated antigensLAALeukemia-specific antigensLSATumor-associated antigenic peptidesHLA-presented antigensImmunopeptidomeLeukemia-associated peptidesLAPLeukemia-associated peptide antigens presented on HLA of leukemia cells

Induction of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) responses and CD4+ helper T-cell responses through the recognition of specific peptide-HLA complexes on the surface of leukemia cells, leading to targeted cell lysis and long-term immune memory (Source: Sellas Life Sciences, 2024; Source: NIH, 2024).