Highlights of This Issue

Abstract

Attenuated strains of measles virus are currently assessed in phase I clinical trials as oncolytic viruses able to preferentially infect and kill tumor cells. In addition to the lysis of tumor cells, measles virus vaccine may activate antitumor immune response. To study this phenomenon, Guillerme and colleagues exposed plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC), a subset of DC specialized in antiviral immunity, to measles virus vaccine–infected or UV-irradiated tumor cells. Their findings show that only measles virus vaccine–infected cells were able to activate IFN-α production and tumor antigen cross-presentation by pDC. Thus, measles virus vaccine used as an oncolytic virus may recruit pDC in the antitumor immune response.The anticancer activity of green tea catechins has been reported in many laboratory studies and in clinical trials, but the mechanism of action is still unclear. Santilli and colleagues investigated the effect of a clinical grade catechin mixture called Polyphenon E in mouse models of neuroblastoma, a deadly childhood cancer affecting the nervous system. Surprisingly, the differentiation of immunosuppressive myeloid cells and reactivation of the immune system was a key element in the anticancer effect of the catechins. Thus, the nontoxic drug Polyphenon E shows promise as a new therapeutic tool to boost immunologic therapies in children with neuroblastoma.Shin and colleagues examined the underlying molecular mechanism and chemopreventive efficacy of a novel combination of an EGF receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor with a COX-2 inhibitor, a combination that is being tested in a clinical trial. Preclinical studies confirmed that the combined treatment inhibited growth of head and neck cancer cells with significantly greater potency than either agent alone. Analysis of tissue samples from clinical trial participants consistently showed downregulation of multiple signaling molecules after treatment, which was correlated with clinical response. This investigation of both preclinical studies and the biomarker-driven clinical trial serves as proof-of-principle to justify future chemoprevention trials that target multiple signaling pathways involved in carcinogenesis.Cancer vaccines can be very effective for treating patients, but clinical responses vary widely from one patient to another. Strategies to target treatment to likely responders could significantly improve clinical efficacy, minimize unnecessary side effects, and reduce health care costs. Using a glycan microarray to profile serum antiglycan antibodies, Campbell and colleagues show that prevaccination antibody levels to the blood group A trisaccharide (BG-Atri) are correlated with survival of prostate cancer patients treated with PROSTVAC-VF. Measurement of serum anti-BG-Atri levels prior to vaccination could provide a simple method for preselecting patients who are likely to benefit from PROSTVAC-VF therapy. Additionally, these studies highlight the potential of serum antiglycan antibodies as a convenient reservoir of biomarkers that warrants further investigation.