Statement of translational relevance
cancers, tumor, HPV16+ cancers, advanced/metastatic, Human papilloma virus, vulvar cancers
CANCERS, VULVAR CANCER, TUMOR
Human papilloma virus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, causing ~44,000 cases of anal, cervical, oropharyngeal, penile, vaginal, and vulvar cancers yearly in the United States. Autologous PBMCs were loaded with antigen precursors by microfluidic squeezing, resulting in HPV16 E6 and E7 antigen presentation via MHC-I; the cell mixture consists primarily of T cells, B cells, natural killer cells, and monocytes (SQZ-PBMC-HPV). A dose escalation Phase 1 study in patients with advanced/metastatic HPV16+ cancers documented good tolerability and defined the dose for future studies, as well as the overall feasibility of the manufacturing process. In addition, there was one unconfirmed response, and the tumor immune contextual data supported the hypothesized mechanism of action. Additional research in combination with other immune therapies is ongoing to assess the potential impact of this therapy in patients with HPV16+ cancers.