Neoantigen-expressing tumor cell

Neoantigen-expressing tumor cells are malignant cells characterized by the presentation of unique, non-self peptides on their surface via Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules. These neoantigens arise from somatic mutations—such as single nucleotide variants, insertions, or deletions—that are unique to the tumor genome and absent from healthy tissues, providing a distinct foreign signature for immune recognition (Source: National Cancer Institute). Therapeutic strategies, including personalized mRNA vaccines (e.g., mRNA-4157) and adoptive cell transfers like Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TILs), aim to prime or expand T-cell populations that recognize these specific neoepitopes (Source: Nature Reviews Cancer). By targeting these cells, therapies can achieve high precision, potentially reducing the risk of systemic toxicity compared to traditional chemotherapy. However, therapeutic efficacy can be hindered by tumor heterogeneity, where only a subset of cells expresses a specific neoantigen, or by the downregulation of antigen-presentation machinery to evade detection (Source: PubMed, PMID: 29739839).

Other names

Neoepitope-presenting tumor cellTumor-specific antigen-expressing cellMutated cancer cell

Therapies targeting these cells work by stimulating or providing the immune system with T-cells (CD8+ and CD4+) that specifically recognize and kill cells presenting mutated peptides (neoepitopes) on their MHC molecules (Source: PubMed, PMID: 32433619).