AUTHOR=Nesi Ilaria , Della Bella Chiara , Taddei Maria Letizia , Santi Alice , Pranzini Erica , Paoli Paolo , D’Elios Mario Milco , Ramazzotti Matteo , Genovese Massimo , Caselli Anna , Cirri Paolo TITLE=Targeting of tumor cells by custom antigen transfer: a novel approach for immunotherapy of cancer JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology VOLUME=13 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2023.1245248 DOI=10.3389/fonc.2023.1245248 ISSN=2234-943X ABSTRACT=

In the early stages of carcinogenesis, the transformed cells become “invisible” to the immune system. From this moment on, the evolution of the tumor depends essentially on the genotype of the primitive cancer cells and their subsequent genetic drift. The role of the immune system in blocking tumor progression from the earliest stages is largely underestimated because by the time tumors are clinically detectable, the immune system has already completely failed its task. Therefore, a clinical treatment capable of restoring the natural anti-tumor role of the immune system could prove to be the “ultimate weapon” against cancer. Herein, we propose a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of solid cancer that exploits the capability of activated monocytes to transfer major histocompatibility complex I (MHC-I) molecules bound to antigenic peptides to cancer cells using microvesicles as cargo, making tumor cells target of a “natural” CD8+ T lymphocyte cytotoxic response.