Listeria monocytogenes as a vector for cancer immunotherapy

Abstract

Cancer is a wide group of diseases, which was responsible for 9.6 million deaths in 2018. Cancer immunotherapies have become a reality, with the first approval for sipuleucel-T for prostate cancer therapy occurring in 2010. Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive bacterium, mostly known as a food-borne pathogen, capable of causing life-threatening and often fatal infections. However, since in the majority of cases the human immune system is able to mount potent innate and adaptive immune responses that control infections by Listeria monocytogenes, the microorganism has become an attractive vector for the development of cancer vaccines. The review by Flickinger Jr., Rodeck and Snook (Vaccines 2018, 6, 48) on the use of Listeria monocytogenes as a vector for cancer immunotherapy is described and commented here.