Autologous tumor lysate vaccines enhance anti-glioma immunity and prolong survival in a GL261 glioblastoma mouse model.

In this study, we investigated the efficacy of autologous tumor lysate vaccines derived from orthotopic and subcutaneous glioma tissues in the GL261 mouse model of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). We prepared two types of lysate vaccines: intracranial tumor lysate (ITL) and subcutaneous tumor lysate (STL). The results demonstrated that ITL vaccination significantly prolonged the survival of glioma-bearing mice, enhanced the recruitment of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) to the brain, and increased the activation of CD8+ T cells expressing IFN-γ compared to STL and saline controls. STL was also effective in reducing tumor growth in subcutaneous models, indicating the broader applicability of tumor lysate-based vaccines. The ITL vaccine induced a robust anti-glioma immune response by promoting Th1-type immunity, upregulating co-stimulatory molecules (CD80 and CD86), and increasing MHC-I and MHC-II expression, which contributed to enhanced antigen presentation and tumor clearance. These findings underscore the potential of autologous tumor lysate-based vaccines, particularly ITL, as promising immunotherapies for the treatment of GBM. Further investigation into the combination of tumor lysate vaccines with adjuvants and immune checkpoint inhibitors may enhance their clinical applicability and efficacy. Here, the term "vaccine" is used to describe a tumor lysate-based immunostimulatory intervention in mice. This work represents a preclinical proof-of-concept rather than a directly translatable clinical strategy.