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Advanced Cell Therapy and Research Institute, Singapore (ACTRIS)

Enhancing the Efficacy of Dendritic Cells for Immunotherapy by A/Prof Herbert Schwarz

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Webinars

31 January 2023

Watch Prof Schwarz explain how a new dendritic cell vaccine targeting EBV shows promise in treating nasopharyngeal carcinoma, with patients achieving long-term benefit in a phase I study.

ACTRIS webinar flyer for a Cell Therapy Lecture Series on 31 Jan, 1-2PM, featuring speaker A/Prof Herbert Schwarz.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with many cancers, including nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Induction of an immune response against EBV could potentially be employed for elimination of NPC and other EBV-associated cancers. Dendritic cells (DC) are potent induces of immune responses, and are being tested for cancer immunotherapy.

Prof Schwarz and his team developed a new type of DC, that are being generated by a CD137 ligand (CD137L) agonist, and these cells display enhanced potency. In a phase I study, 12 NPC patients were administered CD137L-DC that were pulsed with EBV antigens (CD137L-DC-EBV-VAX). Treatment was well tolerated. A partial response (PR) was obtained in 1 patient, and 4 patients are still benefitting from a progression free survival (PFS) of currently 2 to 3 years. Patients with clinical benefit had lower plasma EBV DNA levels, and a reduction after vaccination, indicating that CD137L-DC-EBV-VAX induces an anti-EBV and anti-NPC immune response, and warranting further studies.

Further strategies to enhance DC vaccine efficacy will be discussed.

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