Review Volume 16, Issue 12 pp 10657—10665

Figure 1. Senescent cell-derived vaccines: sources of specific antigens for cancer immunotherapy. (A) Here, we propose that senescent cells could be exploited for developing immunotherapeutic vaccines for cancer patients. (B) Senescent cells used in the development of these vaccines could be isolated from tissues or tumors. Senescent cells have outstanding features that could be exploited for cancer immunotherapy. These include high levels of type II interferon γ (IFNγ) signaling, which lead to abundant antigen presentation on the cell surface, through the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I. Senescent cells also secrete a vast array of antigens and adjuvants, which can be internalized and subsequently displayed by dendritic cells. Both senescent and dendritic cells can further activate CD8⁺ T cells with antigens common to senescent and cancer cells, empowering CD8⁺ T cells with an anti-tumor immune capacity.