The role of TAP and MHC class I expression in the response to melanoma immunotherapy using autolgous dendritic cells

对于疾病已经扩散或转移到远离原始黑色素瘤的部位的恶性黑色素瘤患者，治疗通常是不成功的。在这种疾病的这个阶段，没有已知的常规手术、放疗或化疗的治愈方法。然而，偶尔，黑色素瘤在其早期阶段被免疫系统的自然反应成功处理。在这些情况下，免疫系统产生控制癌症的杀手T淋巴细胞，进入黑色素瘤并杀死肿瘤细胞。杀伤性T淋巴细胞是由淋巴腺产生的，当免疫系统受到黑色素瘤细胞成分或抗原时，由称为树突状细胞的特殊细胞产生。该项目包括一项临床试验，旨在通过从血液中培养树突状细胞，将其与黑色素瘤抗原混合，然后注射混合物，提高免疫系统产生杀伤细胞的自然能力。当注入皮肤时，树突状细胞迅速转移到淋巴腺产生杀伤性T淋巴细胞。T淋巴细胞可以找到黑素瘤沉积在全身的途径。本项目将特别评估对疫苗接种有反应或无反应的原因。

Treatment for patients with malignant melanoma whose disease has spread, or metastasised, to sites distant from the original melanoma is usually unsuccessful. At this stage of the disease there is no known curative treatment with conventional surgery, radiation or chemotherapy. Occasionally, however, melanoma in its early stages is successfully dealt with by the natural response of the immune system. In these cases, the immune system generates cancer-controlling killer T lymphocytes that enter the melanoma and kill the tumour cells. Killer T lymphocytes are generated by the lymph glands when the immune system is presented with melanoma cell components, or antigens, by specialised cells known as dendritic cells. This project consists of a clinical trial that aims to boost the natural ability of the immune system to generate killer cells by growing dendritic cells from the blood, mixing them with melanoma antigens, and then inject the mixture. When injected into the skin, dendritic cells quickly move to lymph glands to generate killer T lymphocytes. T lymphocytes can find their way to melanoma deposits all over the body. The reasons for response or non-response to the vaccination will particularly be assessed in this project.