How unique cancer markers may guide immune-based treatments: mechanisms, approaches, and future outlook

Neoantigens, which are tumor-specific proteins, may enhance personalized cancer immunotherapy due to their unique specificity.

• They arise from genetic changes such as single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and insertions/deletions (INDELs).
• Tumors with high mutational burdens, like melanoma and lung cancers, show strong immune responses driven by neoantigens.
• Low neoantigen loads in tumors such as pancreatic and prostate cancers may require combinatorial treatment approaches to improve immune response.
• Innovative solutions, including machine learning for predicting neoantigens and the use of lipid nanoparticles, are being explored to address challenges like tumor heterogeneity.
• Future strategies may integrate advanced technologies like next-generation sequencing and CRISPR-Cas9 for enhanced therapeutic precision.

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