Neoantigen DNA Vaccines: Safe and Effective Response in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treatment

Neoantigen DNA vaccines are safe for patients with triple-negative breast cancer. They also induce immune responses specific to neoantigens, according to a study in Genome Medicine published on November 14.

Dr. Xiuli Zhang and her team at Washington University School of Medicine developed a vaccine platform that presents human leukocyte antigen class I and II epitopes. They used tumor and normal exome sequencing along with tumor RNA sequencing to find expressed somatic mutations. The researchers identified and prioritized cancer neoantigens using prediction algorithms to aid in vaccine design.

In a phase 1 clinical trial, the neoadjuvant DNA vaccines were given to triple-negative breast cancer patients who had persistent disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The study monitored the vaccines for safety and immune responses.

The authors recommend additional research on the neoantigen DNA vaccine platform in triple-negative breast cancer and other cancers with low mutation burdens.