Dendritic cell preparation for immunotherapeutic interventions

Much effort has been made over the last decade to use dendritic cells (DCs) in vaccines to induce specific antitumor immune responses. However, the great hope provided by in vitro and in vivo preclinical investigations was not translated to the clinic in terms of clinical efficacy. Thus, one of the challenges resides in optimizing DC-based therapy to give maximum clinical efficacy while using manufacturing processes that enable quality control and scale-up of consistent products. In this article, we review DC biology and the DC-based clinical trials performed to date and focus on the DC maturation status compatible with the goals of cancer immunotherapy. We also highlight the different approaches used in these clinical studies, such as the DC types or subtypes used and their preparation. Finally, we discuss the immunological and clinical outcomes in treated patients, with emphasis on the strategies that could be used to improve DC-based vaccination.