Definition

A personalized, peptide-based therapeutic dendritic cell (DC) vaccine consisting of autologous DCs loaded with immunogenic peptides derived from autologous cancer cells, with potential immunomodulating and antineoplastic activities. Upon leukapheresis, mature DCs are loaded with immunogenic neoantigens. Vaccination with the neoantigen-loaded autologous DC vaccine stimulates the host immune system to mount a cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) response against tumor cells expressing the neoantigens, which results in tumor cell lysis.