optiPRM: A Targeted Immunopeptidomics LC-MS Workflow With Ultra-High Sensitivity for the Detection of Mutation-Derived Tumor Neoepitopes From Limited Input Material.

Personalized cancer immunotherapies such as therapeutic vaccines and adoptive transfer of T cell receptor-transgenic T cells rely on the presentation of tumor-specific peptides by human leukocyte antigen class I molecules to cytotoxic T cells. Such neoepitopes can for example arise from somatic mutations and their identification is crucial for the rational design of new therapeutic interventions. Liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based immunopeptidomics is the only method to directly prove actual peptide presentation and we have developed a parameter optimization workflow to tune targeted assays for maximum detection sensitivity on a per peptide basis, termed optiPRM.

Meeting report: Considerations for trial design and endpoints in licensing therapeutic HPV16/18 vaccines to prevent cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally with a disproportionate impact on women in low- and middle-income countries. In 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) called for increased vaccination, screening, and treatment to eliminate cervical cancer. However, even with widespread rollout of human papillomavirus (HPV) prophylactic vaccines, millions of women who previously acquired HPV infections will remain at risk for progression to cancer for decades to come.

Transcriptome-based identification of tumor-reactive and bystander CD8 T cell receptor clonotypes in human pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is generally refractory to immune checkpoint blockade, although patients with genetically unstable tumors can show modest therapeutic benefit. We previously demonstrated the presence of tumor-reactive CD8 T cells in PDAC samples. Here, we charted the tumor-infiltrating T cell repertoire in PDAC by combining single-cell transcriptomics with functional testing of T cell receptors (TCRs) for reactivity against autologous tumor cells.

Characterization of DoTc2 4510-Identifying HPV16 Presence in a Cervical Carcinoma Cell Line Previously Considered to Be HPV-Negative.

Cervical cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in women, with over 340,000 women dying from this disease in 2020. Almost all cases have an underlying persistent infection with an oncogenic high-risk type of human papillomavirus (HPV), mainly HPV16. While cervical squamous cell carcinoma is hardly ever HPV-negative, a small subset of adenocarcinoma exhibits absence of HPV, even after disproval of false-negative testing results due to low viral load.