Dendritic cell vaccination (DCV) induces an anti-tumor immune response in gliobastoma patients, but efficacy seems limited. Effector T cells expressing IFNγ and T-bet can be detected in the brains of vaccinated patients, suggesting successful stimulation of tumor-specific type 1 T cells. However, these cells simultaneously express high levels of Eomes, leading to upregulation of the immune checkpoint receptor PD-1, associated with T-cell dysfunction. Thus, there appears to be a rational to combine DCV with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) to increase therapeutic efficacy. Therefore, this study aims to dissect the role of immune checkpoint pathways in DC-induced T-cell responses and to identify potential mechanisms for modulating the expression of T-bet and Eomes to overcome T-cell exhaustion.

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