In vivo dendritic cell reprogramming for cancer immunotherapy

Immunotherapy can lead to long-term survival for some cancer patients, yet generalized success has been hampered by insufficient antigen presentation and exclusion of immunogenic cells from the tumor microenvironment. Here, we developed an approach to reprogram tumor cells in vivo by adenoviral delivery of the transcription factors PU.1, IRF8, and BATF3, which enabled them to present antigens as type 1 conventional dendritic cells. Reprogrammed tumor cells remodeled their tumor microenvironment, recruited, and expanded polyclonal cytotoxic T cells; induced tumor regressions; and established long-term systemic immunity in multiple mouse melanoma models. In human tumor spheroids and xenografts, reprogramming to…

• CR
  Cancer Research Institute
• UO
  University of Pennsylvania
• EC
  European Commission

  Awards: 101113364, 847583, 866448
• C
  Cancerfonden
• LU
  Lunds Universitet
• KO
  Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse
• V
  Vetenskapsrådet

  Award: 2020-04744
• SF
  Science for Life Laboratory
• NN
  Novo Nordisk Fonden
• FP
  Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
• E
  Eurostars