Patient-specific neoantigen and tumor-associated antigen presented on MHC class I (Neoantigen/TAA-MHC-I)

Patient-specific neoantigens and tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) presented on MHC class I molecules are essential targets for personalized immunotherapy in breast cancer (PubMed: 29739835). Neoantigens are derived from non-synonymous somatic mutations unique to the patient's tumor, while TAAs are self-proteins that are overexpressed or abnormally expressed in cancer cells (NIH: PMC6597542). These peptides are displayed on the cell surface by Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class I molecules, serving as signals for recognition by CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (Nature: 547, 217–221). In breast cancer, particularly triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), these antigens are utilized to design personalized vaccines and adoptive cell therapies aimed at inducing a robust anti-tumor immune response (Science: 348, 6231). Therapeutic interventions like mRNA-based vaccines (e.g., mRNA-4157) or T-cell receptor (TCR) therapies target these specific peptide-MHC complexes to achieve precise tumor cell lysis (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03897881). Despite their potential, challenges such as HLA downregulation and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment can lead to immune evasion and treatment resistance (Nature Reviews Cancer: 18, 546–558).

Other names

Tumor-specific antigenNeoepitopeTumor-associated antigenpMHC complexCancer-testis antigenAutologous tumor antigen

Induction of antigen-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses against tumor cells expressing the target peptide-MHC complexes.