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Purpose:
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Autologous tumor lysate-pulsed dendritic cell (ATL-DC) vaccination is a promising immunotherapy for patients with high grade gliomas, but responses have not been demonstrated in all patients. Pre-clinical studies demonstrate that toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists can enhance the anti-tumor immune response from cancer vaccines. To determine the most effective combination of autologous tumor lysate-pulsed DC vaccination, with or without the adjuvant toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists poly-ICLC or resiquimod, we conducted a randomized, open-label multi-arm Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate immune responses and survival in 23 patients with newly diagnosed or recurrent WHO Grade III-IV malignant gliomas. Patients were randomized to receive ATL-DC vaccination with either a placebo, a TLR-7/8 agonist (resiquimod, topical 0.2%), or a TLR-3 agonist (poly-ICLC, 20 mcg/kg intramuscular). Peripheral blood was obtained at baseline and following the vaccination cycle for immune monitoring. Mass cytometry, bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing analyses were performed. |
