Fundamentals of Cancer Immunology and Their Application to Cancer Vaccines

Abstract

The capacity of the immune system to influence tumor progression has been a long‐standing notion that first generated clinical traction over a 100 years ago when Dr. William Coley injected disaggregated bacterial components into sarcomas and noted that the ensuing inflammation commonly associated with tumor regression. 1 Since then, our understanding of the individual components and the overall interaction of the immune system has expanded exponentially. This has led to the development of a robust understanding of how components of innate and adaptive immunity recognize and respond to tumors and leveraging this information for the development of tumor immunotherapies. However, clinical failures have also deepened our knowledge of how tumors might adapt/be selected to avoid or inhibit immune responses, which, in turn, has led to the further iteration of immunotherapies. In this tutorial, the established elements of tumor immunity are explained, and areas where our knowledge base is too thin is highlighted. The principles of tumor immunity that guide the development of cancer vaccines are further illustrated, and potential considerations of how to integrate cancer vaccines with conventional therapies and other immunotherapies are proposed.

Using nanomaterials to address SARS-CoV-2 variants through development of vaccines and therapeutics

“…In recent years, advancements in the field of nanotechnology have led to vaccines that are used to protect against current and future variants of COVID-19. Both traditional and mRNA vaccines illicit consistent immune responses towards fighting infection despite the varying mechanisms to how these responses are induced (Bullock, 2021). They both activate the adaptive immune system consisting of B-cells, antibodies, and T-cells.…”