Immunogenic cell death in tumor specimens in the clinics

Tumor development and growth are under the control of the immune system in the human body. Danger-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) molecules trigger the anti-tumor response by binding to pattern recognition receptor (PRR) on myeloid cells which in turn activate an adaptive immune system. DAMP molecules are released from cancer cells during a process of immunogenic cell death (ICD) which is a form of regulated cell death (RCD). ICD is induced by a variety of treatments in experimental settings as well as by therapeutic modalities commonly used in medicine. A typical DAMP marker of ICD is calreticulin which is translocated from the endoplasmatic reticulum to the plasma membrane attached to the CD91 receptor. Another marker is the nuclear protein HMGB1 which is released into the tumor environment at the later stage of ICD. This bachelor thesis describes a variety of detection methods and the results of DAMP externalization after ICD induction in vitro in cancer cell lines and in tumor specimens from cancer patiens. Moreover, the link between DAMP molecules and cancer patient survival is discussed. Last, it also summarizes the current status of clinical trials concerning ICD. Keywords tumor, antitumor immunity, cell death, adjuvans, DAMP, chemotherapeutics, immunogenic cell death, clinical trial