Abstract
Vaccines have been used to prevent and eradicate different diseases for over 200 years, and new vaccine technologies have the potential to prevent many common illnesses. Cancer, despite many advances in therapeutics, is still the second leading causes of death in the United States. Prophylactic, or preventative, cancer vaccines have the potential to reduce cancer prevalence by initiating a specific immune response that will target cancer before it can develop. Cancer vaccines can include many different components, such as peptides and carbohydrates, and be fabricated for delivery using a variety of means including through incorporation of stabilizing chemicals like polyethylene glycol (PEG) and pan-DR helper T-lymphocyte epitope (PADRE), fusion with antigen-presenting cells (APCs), microneedle patches, and liposomal encapsulation. There are currently five cancer vaccines used in the clinic, protecting against either human papillomavirus (HPV) or hepatitis B virus (HBV), and preventing several different types of cancer including cervical and oral cancer. Prophylactic cancer vaccines can promote three different types of adaptive responses: humoral (B cell, or antibody-mediated), cellular (T cell) or a combination of the two types. Each vaccine has its advantages and challenges at eliciting an adaptive immune response, but these prophylactic cancer vaccines in development have the potential to prevent or delay tumor development, and reduce the incidence of many common cancers.
Highlights
Vaccines have improved the human condition since Edward Jenner developed the first vaccine to prevent smallpox over 200 years ago, paving the way for the prevention and even eradication of many common ailments [1]
Cancer vaccines are often defined as therapeutic vaccines, which are different from prophylactic vaccines in that they elicit an immune response to an existing tumor and to residual cancer cells following other treatments [6]
Humoral vaccines allow for long-term immune protection and may be used to target secondary tumor antigens, B cell tolerance can limit their effectiveness
Summary
Vaccines have improved the human condition since Edward Jenner developed the first vaccine to prevent smallpox over 200 years ago, paving the way for the prevention and even eradication of many common ailments [1]. Preventative, or prophylactic, cancer vaccines have the potential to reduce cancer prevalence and improve prognosis by inducing an immune response to prevent the development of specific cancers. Cancer vaccines are often defined as therapeutic vaccines, which are different from prophylactic vaccines in that they elicit an immune response to an existing tumor and to residual cancer cells following other treatments [6]. Therapeutic vaccines against cancer elicit immune responses following the onset of disease. Proposed therapeutic vaccines against breast cancer can target human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), utilizing T cells to elicit a targeted immune response [7]. The successful development of preventative cancer vaccines could decrease the prevalence of cancer, reducing cancer-related deaths. Age-related immune decline is seen across all vaccine engineering strategies as a major challenge
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