Latest developments in MUC1 immunotherapy

TY - JOUR

T1 - Latest developments in MUC1 immunotherapy

AU - Taylor-Papadimitriou, Joyce

AU - Burchell, Joy M.

AU - Graham, Rosalind

AU - Beatson, Richard

PY - 2018

Y1 - 2018

N2 - Currently there is renewed interest in attempting to recruit the host immune system to eliminate cancers, and within this renewed activity, MUC1 continues to arouse interest. MUC1 has been considered a possible therapeutic target for the past thirty years as it is upregulated, aberrantly glycosylated and its polarization is lost in many adenocarcinomas. Moreover MUC1 is expressed by some hematopoietic cancers, including Acute Myeloblasic/Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) and myeloma. Although multiple clinical trials have been initiated and immune responses have been documented, effective clinical benefit worthy of approval for general application has not as yet been achieved. However, this does not appear to have quelled the interest in MUC1 as a therapeutic target, as shown by the increase in the number of MUC1 based Clinical trials initiated in 2017 (Figure 1). As with all translational studies, incorporating new relevant research findings into therapeutic strategy is difficult. Decisions are made to commit to a specific strategy based on the information and data available when the trial is initiated. However, the time required for preclinical studies and early trials can render the founding concept out of date and not appropriate for proceeding to a larger definitive trial. Here we summarise the attempts made to date to bring MUC1 into the world of Cancer Immuno-therapy and discuss how research findings regarding MUC1 structure and function together with expanded knowledge of its interactions with the tumour environment and immune effector cells could lead to improved therapeutic approaches.

AB - Currently there is renewed interest in attempting to recruit the host immune system to eliminate cancers, and within this renewed activity, MUC1 continues to arouse interest. MUC1 has been considered a possible therapeutic target for the past thirty years as it is upregulated, aberrantly glycosylated and its polarization is lost in many adenocarcinomas. Moreover MUC1 is expressed by some hematopoietic cancers, including Acute Myeloblasic/Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) and myeloma. Although multiple clinical trials have been initiated and immune responses have been documented, effective clinical benefit worthy of approval for general application has not as yet been achieved. However, this does not appear to have quelled the interest in MUC1 as a therapeutic target, as shown by the increase in the number of MUC1 based Clinical trials initiated in 2017 (Figure 1). As with all translational studies, incorporating new relevant research findings into therapeutic strategy is difficult. Decisions are made to commit to a specific strategy based on the information and data available when the trial is initiated. However, the time required for preclinical studies and early trials can render the founding concept out of date and not appropriate for proceeding to a larger definitive trial. Here we summarise the attempts made to date to bring MUC1 into the world of Cancer Immuno-therapy and discuss how research findings regarding MUC1 structure and function together with expanded knowledge of its interactions with the tumour environment and immune effector cells could lead to improved therapeutic approaches.

KW - MUC1, Immunotherapy

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85055598302&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1042/BST20170400

DO - 10.1042/BST20170400

M3 - Article

SN - 0300-5127

VL - 46

SP - 659

EP - 668

JO - Biochemical Society Transactions

JF - Biochemical Society Transactions

IS - 3

ER -