Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42177548›Full record

ArticleJournal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR2026

Vaccine-expanded plasmablast-like B cells are associated with response to dendritic cell therapy in metastatic melanoma.

Marcella Tazzari, Silvia Carloni, Jenny Bulgarelli, Sara Pignatta, Martine Bocchini, Claudia Piccinini, Davide Angeli, Michela Tebaldi, Irene Azzali, Maria Maddalena Tumedei and 13 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

23 authors.

Marcella TazzariAdvanced Cellular Therapies and Rare Tumors Unit, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo Per Lo Studio Dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, FC, 47014, Italy. marcella.tazzari@irst.emr.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8112-1773
Silvia CarloniImmuno-Gene Therapy Factory, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo Per Lo Studio Dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, FC, 47014, Italy.
Jenny BulgarelliAdvanced Cellular Therapies and Rare Tumors Unit, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo Per Lo Studio Dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, FC, 47014, Italy.
Sara PignattaImmuno-Gene Therapy Factory, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo Per Lo Studio Dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, FC, 47014, Italy.
Martine BocchiniAdvanced Cellular Therapies and Rare Tumors Unit, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo Per Lo Studio Dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, FC, 47014, Italy.
Claudia PiccininiImmuno-Gene Therapy Factory, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo Per Lo Studio Dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, FC, 47014, Italy.
Davide AngeliUnit of Biostatistics and Clinical Trials, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo Per Lo Studio Dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, FC, 47014, Italy.
Michela TebaldiUnit of Biostatistics and Clinical Trials, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo Per Lo Studio Dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, FC, 47014, Italy.
Irene AzzaliUnit of Biostatistics and Clinical Trials, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo Per Lo Studio Dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, FC, 47014, Italy.
Maria Maddalena TumedeiAdvanced Cellular Therapies and Rare Tumors Unit, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo Per Lo Studio Dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, FC, 47014, Italy.
Filippo PiccininiDepartment of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), University of Bologna, Via G.Massarenti 9, Bologna, 40138, Italy.
Francesca TauceriGeneral and Oncological Surgery, Morgagni-Pierantoni Hospital, 47121, Forlì, Italy.
Francesco LimarziPathology Unit, Morgagni-Pierantoni Hospital, AUSL Romagna, Forlì, 47121, Italy.
Fabio NicoliniAdvanced Cellular Therapies and Rare Tumors Unit, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo Per Lo Studio Dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, FC, 47014, Italy.
Maria Teresa BochicchioBiosciences Laboratory, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo Per Lo Studio Dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", 47014, Meldola, Italy.
Milena UrbiniBiosciences Laboratory, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo Per Lo Studio Dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", 47014, Meldola, Italy.
Giovanni FoschiAdvanced Cellular Therapies and Rare Tumors Unit, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo Per Lo Studio Dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, FC, 47014, Italy.
Nicola RomaniniAdvanced Cellular Therapies and Rare Tumors Unit, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo Per Lo Studio Dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, FC, 47014, Italy.
Francesco de RosaAdvanced Cellular Therapies and Rare Tumors Unit, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo Per Lo Studio Dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, FC, 47014, Italy.
Anna Maria GranatoImmuno-Gene Therapy Factory, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo Per Lo Studio Dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, FC, 47014, Italy.
Elena PancisiImmuno-Gene Therapy Factory, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo Per Lo Studio Dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, FC, 47014, Italy.
Massimiliano PetriniImmuno-Gene Therapy Factory, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo Per Lo Studio Dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, FC, 47014, Italy. massimiliano.petrini@irst.emr.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8942-0890
Laura RidolfiAdvanced Cellular Therapies and Rare Tumors Unit, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo Per Lo Studio Dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, FC, 47014, Italy.

Funding

Fondazione AIRC per la ricerca sul cancro ETS 26339Ministero della Salute PNC-E3-2022-23683269 PNC-LSH-TA
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDendritic Cell Vaccines (DCVax) can induce tumor-specific immune responses, yet their clinical activity remains limited and poorly understood. We sought to identify cellular and molecular features within the vaccine product that are associated with clinical response to monocyte-derived DC vaccines in metastatic melanoma.

methodsWe performed a multi-omics analysis integrating multiparametric flow cytometry, single-cell RNA sequencing of DCVax products, transcriptomic profiling of CD14⁺ monocytes from apheresis, and in situ characterization of pre-treatment melanoma biopsies. Patients were stratified into Responders (Rs) or Non-Responders (NRs) based on best overall response and Delayed-Type Hypersensitivity (DTH) status.

resultsAn unanticipated population of CD19⁺ plasmablast-like B cells was identified within the final DCVax products. These B cells, phenotypically distinct from their circulating precursors, were significantly enriched in Rs and mirrored a B-cell-inflamed baseline state characterized by mature Tertiary Lymphoid Structures (mTLS) in pre-treatment tumor lesions. While mature LAMP3⁺ DCs appeared at comparable frequencies across outcomes, LAMP3⁺ DCs from Rs selectively upregulated HSPA1A/B, consistent with enhanced antigen-processing programs. Transcriptomic signatures of antibody production in vaccine-resident B cells, together with Fc receptor expression on DCs, support a model in which B-cell activity may contribute to antigen loading and DC functional tuning during vaccine manufacturing, a hypothesis that warrants functional validation.

conclusionsOur findings reveal a previously unrecognized B-cell component of DCVax biology, suggesting that cooperative DC-B-cell interactions, combined with baseline B-cell/mTLS features, may contribute to shaping vaccine immunogenicity. While causality cannot be established from the present data, these insights offer actionable avenues for enhancing both vaccine manufacturing and patient selection, extending beyond melanoma.

Indexed as

B-LymphocytesCancer VaccinesDendritic CellsMelanomaPlasma CellsFemaleGene Expression ProfilingHumansNeoplasm MetastasisCancer VaccinesB cellsDendritic cell vaccineMelanomaSingle cell transcriptomicsTertiary lymphoid structures

Identifiers

PMID42177548
PMCPMC13277274

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.