Human papillomavirus (HPV), particularly type 16, has been associated with more than 99% of cervical cancers. There are two HPV oncogenic proteins, E6 and E7, which play a major role in the induction and maintenance of cellular transformation. Thus, immunotherapy targeting these proteins may be employed for the control of HPV−associated cervical lesions. Although the commercially available preventive HPV vaccines are highly efficient in preventing new HPV infection, they do not have therapeutic effects against established HPV infection or HPV−associated lesions. Since T cell−mediated immunity is important for treating established HPV infections and HPV−associated lesions, therapeutic HPV vaccine should aim at generating potent E6 and E7−specific T cell−mediated immune responses. DNA vaccines have now developed into a promising approach for antigen−specific T cell−mediated immunotherapy to combat infection and cancer. Because dendritic cells are the most potent professional antigen−presenting cells, and are highly effective in priming antigen−specific T cells, several DNA vaccines have employed innovative strategies to modify the properties of dendritic cells (DCs) for the enhancement of the DNA vaccine potency. These studies have revealed impressive pre−clinical data that has led to several ongoing HPV DNA vaccine clinical trials.

PMID: 20182584 [PubMed − in process] Source: National Library of Medicine.