Strategies for Cancer Immunotherapy Using Induced Pluripotency Stem Cells-Based Vaccines

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Effective cancer immunotherapies, with the objective to boost tumor-specific immune responses, is a game-changer in personalized cancer treatment. In immunotherapy, the immune system is exploited to recognize and destroy cancer cells, and this is only possible if a full recapitulation of tumor specific antigens complexity is achieved. Patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) share several characteristics with cancer (stem) cells (CSCs). The exploitation of iPSCs as a source of tumor- and patient-specific antigens guiding the immune system against cancer has been addressed recently in mice. Here, we will debate novel findings on the potential implication of cellular reprogramming and iPSCs plasticity for the design of novel cancer immunotherapeutic strategies. ABSTRACT: Despite improvements in cancer therapy, metastatic solid tumors remain largely incurable. Immunotherapy has emerged as a pioneering and promising approach for cancer therapy and management, and in particular intended for advanced tumors unresponsive to current therapeutics. In cancer immunotherapy, components of the immune system are exploited to eliminate cancer cells and treat patients. The recent clinical successes of immune checkpoint blockade and chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapies represent a turning point in cancer treatment. Despite their potential success, current approaches depend on efficient tumor antigen presentation which are often inaccessible, and most tumors turn refractory to current immunotherapy. Patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have been shown to share several characteristics with cancer (stem) cells (CSCs), eliciting a specific anti-tumoral response when injected in rodent cancer models. Indeed, artificial cellular reprogramming has been widely compared to the biogenesis of CSCs. Here, we will discuss the state-of-the-art on the potential implication of cellular reprogramming and iPSCs for the design of patient-specific immunotherapeutic strategies, debating the similarities between iPSCs and cancer cells and introducing potential strategies that could enhance the efficiency and therapeutic potential of iPSCs-based cancer vaccines.