Neoantigen vaccines for cancer: ready for primetime

Tumor neoantigens are somatic mutations specific to the tumor that can elicit immune responses. Genetic mutations are one of the hallmarks of cancer and as a result almost all tumors harbor neoantigens and are susceptible to elimination by the immune system. However, tumor cells often organize an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, which hampers the recruitment of immune cells into the tumors and the development of immune responses against these neoantigens. The use of vaccines can facilitate the development of an immune response against tumor neoantigens and increase the immune pressure on cancer, ideally driving tumor elimination. Several challenges step in the way of neoantigen vaccines becoming effective immunotherapies today. Here, we discuss these challenges and provide a picture of the current state of the art in neoantigen vaccines.

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