Targeting breast cancer stem cells by dendritic cell vaccination in humanized mice with breast tumor: preliminary results

Phuc Van Pham,1 Hanh Thi Le,1 Binh Thanh Vu,1 Viet Quoc Pham,1 Phong Minh Le,1 Nhan Lu-Chinh Phan,1 Ngu Van Trinh,1 Huyen Thi-Lam Nguyen,1 Sinh Truong Nguyen,1 Toan Linh Nguyen,2 Ngoc Kim Phan1 1Laboratory of Stem Cell Research and Application, University of Science, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, 2Vietnam Military Medical University, Ha Dong, Ha Noi, Vietnam Background: Breast cancer (BC) is one of the leading cancers in women. Recent progress has enabled BC to be cured with high efficiency. However, late detection or metastatic disease often renders the disease untreatable. Additionally, relapse is the main cause of death in BC patients. Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) are considered to cause the development of BC and are thought to be responsible for metastasis and relapse. This study aimed to target BCSCs using dendritic cells (DCs) to treat tumor-bearing humanized mice models. Materials and methods: NOD/SCID mice were used to produce the humanized mice by transplantation of human hematopoietic stem cells. Human BCSCs were injected into the mammary fat pad to produce BC humanized mice. Both hematopoietic stem cells and DCs were isolated from the human umbilical cord blood, and immature DCs were produced from cultured mononuclear cells. DCs were matured by BCSC-derived antigen incubation for 48hours. Mature DCs were vaccinated to BC humanized mice with a dose of 106 cells/mice, and the survival percentage was monitored in both treated and untreated groups. Results: The results showed that DC vaccination could target BCSCs and reduce the tumor size and prolong survival. Conclusion: These results suggested that targeting BCSCs with DCs is a promising therapy for BC. Keywords: breast cancer, breast cancer stem cells, targeting cancer therapy, humanized mice, targeting cancer stem cells&nbsp