Autoantibodies and response to melanoma dendritic cell vaccine

A team from the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, the University of California San Francisco and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center analysed autoantibody profiles in patients with melanoma who received a dendritic cell-based vaccine. The results were published on 4 November 2026 in Nature Communications; the corresponding author is Lisa H. Butterfield. doi.org The patients came from a vaccine trial registered as NCT01622933, and profiles were assessed before and after vaccination. doi.org

Autoantibody profiling by PhIP-seq and REAP

The authors applied two assays: phage immunoprecipitation sequencing (PhIP-seq) and Rapid Extracellular Antigen Profiling (REAP). doi.org Compared with healthy donors, patients with melanoma showed significantly elevated breadth and titer of autoantibodies. doi.org

Vaccination induced de novo autoantibodies, particularly those associated with a favorable clinical outcome. doi.org The vaccine expresses multiple tumor-associated antigens. Increased B cell receptor signaling pathways in patients correlated with a favorable clinical response to it. doi.org

Cytokines, monocytes and biomarker signatures

Development of autoantibodies was associated with reduced serum levels of SDF1-alpha, MIP-1ß and MCP1 and with increased circulating monocytes. doi.org

From plasma autoantibody profiles, the authors identified signatures that separate patients with melanoma from healthy subjects. They also identified signatures that separate clinical responders from non-responders to the vaccination treatment. doi.org

According to the authors, these findings demonstrate the potential of autoantibodies as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers that predict clinical outcomes in cancer. doi.org The first author of the paper is Paul V. Munson; co-authors include Juraj Adamik, Yile Dai, Marshall A. Thompson, Christine N. Spencer, Caleigh Mandel-Brehm and Aaron M. Ring. doi.org

UCSF study links autoantibodies to response of melanoma patients to a dendritic cell vaccine in trial

Autoantibody profiling by PhIP-seq and REAP

Cytokines, monocytes and biomarker signatures

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