Advances in research of cancer vaccines targeting Mucin-1

Abstract

Mucin-1 (MUC1) is a highly glycosylated transmembrane protein that is expressed on the surface of most epithelial cells and maintains homeostasis in epithelial barriers.MUC1 is over-expressed and abnormally glycosylated in various malignant tumors and can promote tumorigenesis and metastasis.Aberrant glycosylation and expression of tumor-associated MUC1 result in the generation of cancer-specific epitopes, providing opportunities for vaccine design.Currently, MUC1-targeted vaccines have been extensively tested in human clinical trials and can be classified into four categories: peptide-conjugate, glycan, viral vector and dendritic cell vaccines.TG4010, a viral vector vaccine, has revealed significant clinical efficacy in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer in combination with chemotherapy.This review summarized the current clinical trails of MUC1-targeted tumor vaccines. Key words: Cancer vaccines; Immunotherapy; Mucin-1; TG4010