Summary:

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is seeking research co-development partners and/or licensees for NCI’s compositions and methods to enhance the efficacy of dendritic cell (DC)-based cancer vaccines.  

Description of Technology:

Current dendritic cell (DC)-based cancer vaccines are limited by impaired DC function due to cancer-driven lipid imbalances and other immunosuppressive factors reducing vaccine effectiveness. To address this issue, NCI has generated dendritic cells in the presence of omega-3 fatty acids (docosahexaenoic acid [DHA] and eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA]) and their derivatives, or specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators, to restore and enhance the dendritic cells’ antigen-presenting function and anti-tumor efficacy. This approach could significantly improve the potency of DC-based cancer vaccines, offering a promising strategy to overcome a major limitation in current cancer immunotherapies. NCI is actively continuing development of this technology and seeks licensing and/or collaboration partners to support further preclinical validation and potential clinical translation.

Potential Commercial Applications:

• Cancer immunotherapy
• Development of human DC vaccines
• Formulations involving omega-3 fatty acids or pro-resolving lipids

Competitive Advantages:

• Production of DCs with enhanced antigen-presenting function, anti-tumor efficacy and potency
• Significant tumor reduction and improved survival compared in animals compared with wild-type DCs