New work validates targets for personalized cancer immunotherapy

Optimization of HLA:peptide extraction and sample preparation workflow. Credit: Molecular & Cellular Proteomics (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.mcpro.2024.100825 What are the characteristics of a cancer cell that are recognized by the immune system? Knowledge of the potential target structures for the immune cells is a basic prerequisite for the development of personalized cancer immunotherapies. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the NCT Heidelberg have developed a highly sensitive method based on mass spectroscopy to identify such tumor-specific “neoepitopes.” The analytical method is designed to detect these low abundance protein fragments and requires minimal amounts of sample material. The findings Read More