The tumor antigens can be prepared as vaccine formulations by artificially synthesizing various forms of them, such as tumor cells obtained from patients, tumor-related proteins or peptides, and genes that express tumor antigens, and then combining them with adjuvants or using dendritic cells as delivery carriers. Once the vaccine enters the body, the tumor antigens are engulfed by DC cells and then processed and presented to T cells, activating the antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells to kill the tumor. The most ideal tumor-specific antigen is the neoantigen, which is generated by gene mutations in tumor cells and is not expressed in normal tissues. It can be presented on the cell surface and recognized by T cells after binding to MHC molecules.
Vaccines have evolved from purely preventive measures to therapeutic applications, with types ranging from traditional protein and peptide vaccines to advanced mRNA vaccines. Biocytogen has developed various immunogenicity evaluation and tumor efficacy models based on HLA-humanized mice and HLA-humanized tumor cell lines. These models enable mouse antigen-presenting cells (APCs) to present and recognize peptide epitopes similar or identical to those in humans, accelerating the development of tumor vaccines. We also have established state-of-the-art in vivo and in vitro platforms to comprehensively evaluate the immunogenicity, efficacy, mechanism of action, and safety of vaccines.
