Improving anti-tumor immunity

Antibodies can inhibit the growth of tumor cells and induce anti-tumor cytotoxicity, but the mechanism by which an efficient anti-tumor response develops has been poorly understood. In 1 July Journal of Clinical Investigation, Khadija Rafiq and colleagues from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, show that targeting of tumor antigen to Fc receptors on dendritic cells (DCs) can induce delayed type hypersensitivity and efficient tumor immunity (J Clin Invest 2002, 110:71-79).

Rafiq et al. used DC cells loaded with ovalbumin containing immune complexes in order to induce tumor immunity against ovalbumin expressing tumors. They observed that tumor protection was eliminated when these DCs lacked β2 microglobulin, TAP or MHC class II, demonstrating that Fc receptor-targeted antigenic uptake led to both MHC class I and class II restricted responses, which together are required for effector tumor immunity.

"Our data suggest that anti-tumor antibody mediated efficacy may result from ...