Dendritic cell-targeted vaccines — hope or hype?

Studies in mice indicate that targeting antigens to dendritic cells (DCs) can elicit strong CD4+T cell responses. In this Opinion article, the authors summarize the existing DC-targeting approaches; they discuss whether these vaccines are superior to current vaccines and what future studies should entail to successfully introduce these vaccines into a clinical setting. The development of an effective vaccine that elicits a strong and durable T cell response against intracellular pathogens and cancer is a challenge. One strategy to enhance the effectiveness of vaccination is by targeting dendritic cells (DCs). In this Opinion article, we discuss existing DC-targeting approaches that induce adaptive immunity. We highlight the crucial issues that need to be addressed to move the field forward and discuss whether targeting DCs could be better than current vaccine approaches.