Immune targeting of angiogenesis Flashcards
How are new blood vessels in tumors formed?
The process of angiogenesis starts with production of signal proteins by tumors (e.g. VEGF) which will activate endothelial cells to move into the direction in the stimulus and proliferate to create new blood vesicles.
What is Vimentin?
Vimentin is overexpressed in tumor vasculature, is externalized and splice variants exist. Targeting of extracellular vimentin inhibits angiogenesis and tumor growth.
Why is developing an anti-cancer vaccine difficult?
Developing an anti-cancer vaccine is difficult because creating an immune response towards a self-antigen is difficult.
How can you design a vaccination against an self-antigen?
to design a vaccination against an self-antigen, fusion proteins are used with both non-self as self-antigens. These will be presented by APCs on MHC class II The non-self-antigens will activate T helper cells and the self-antigens will activate B cells with the help of the Th cells. The B cells will then start to produce auto-antibodies.
