Title:Novel Antigen Targets for Immunotherapy of Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Volume: 18
Issue: 3
Author(s): Meghali Goswami and Christopher S. Hourigan
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Acute myeloid leukemia, antigens, immunotherapy.
Abstract: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was the first malignancy for which immunotherapy, in the
form of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), was integrated into the standard
of care. Allo-HSCT however is an imperfect therapy associated with significant morbidity and
mortality while offering only incomplete prevention of AML clinical relapse. These limitations have
motivated the search for AML-related antigens that might be used as more specific and effective targets
of immunotherapy. While historically such investigations have focused on protein targets expressed
uniquely in AML or at significantly higher levels than in normal tissues, this article will review recent
discoveries which have identified a novel selection of potential antigen targets for AML immunotherapy,
such as non-protein targets including lipids and carbohydrates, neo-antigens created from genetic
somatic mutations or altered splicing and post-translational modification of protein targets, together
with innovative ways to target overexpressed protein targets presented by cell surface peptide-MHC
complexes. These novel antigens represent promising candidates for further development as targets of
AML immunotherapy.
