Brain intertwined with green immune cells representing glioblastoma treatment.

Glioblastoma Vaccine: Why Immune Response Matters

Jordan Keane in Health & Wellness November 2025 • 4 min read.

"New research unveils how pre-existing immunity and vaccine-induced changes influence glioblastoma treatment outcomes, paving the way for personalized cancer therapies."

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most aggressive form of brain cancer, presents a formidable challenge to modern medicine. Standard treatments involving surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy offer limited success, spurring the exploration of novel immunotherapeutic strategies.

One such strategy involves dendritic cell (DC) vaccines, which harness the power of the immune system to target and destroy cancer cells. The Audencel vaccine, designed to stimulate an immune response against GBM, recently underwent a Phase II clinical trial. While the trial did not demonstrate significant clinical efficacy in all patients, intriguing findings emerged regarding the influence of the immune system on treatment outcomes.

This article delves into the immunological research accompanying the Audencel trial, exploring how pre-existing immune characteristics and vaccine-induced changes impact survival in GBM patients. We'll unpack the study's key findings, highlighting potential biomarkers and offering insights into the future of personalized cancer therapies.

Pre-existing Immunity: A Foundation for Treatment Success?

Brain intertwined with green immune cells representing glioblastoma treatment.

The study revealed a crucial insight: patients with favorable pre-existing anti-tumor characteristics lived longer under Audencel treatment. This suggests that the immune system's initial state plays a significant role in determining treatment response.

Specifically, higher counts of CD8+ T cells (immune cells known for their ability to kill infected or cancerous cells) and a strong Granzyme B response (an indicator of cytotoxic activity) before vaccination were significantly correlated with overall survival.

CD8+ T Cells: Act as key executioners in the immune system, directly targeting and destroying tumor cells. A high pre-treatment count suggests a robust foundation for an effective immune response.
Granzyme B: Is a crucial enzyme released by immune cells to induce apoptosis (programmed cell death) in target cells. Its presence indicates the immune system's readiness to eliminate tumor cells upon recognition.

This highlights the potential for using these immune markers to identify patients who are more likely to benefit from Audencel treatment. These insights suggest that these could be future biomarker candidates.

Audencel's Impact: Stimulating the Immune System

Even though Audencel didn't improve survival, it demonstrably impacted the immune system. The vaccine upregulated Th1-related immunovariables, including interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), a critical cytokine for anti-tumor immunity, and the transcription factor T-bet, essential for Th1 cell development.

Moreover, post-vaccination levels of IFN-γ and CD8+ cells were indicative of better survival, reinforcing the importance of these immune components in controlling GBM progression.

While Audencel alone may not be the ultimate solution for GBM, this research underscores the potential of DC vaccines and highlights the necessity of understanding individual immune profiles to optimize treatment strategies. Future research should focus on identifying combination therapies or developing more effective biomarkers to predict and enhance treatment response in specific patient subgroups.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1186/s40478-018-0621-2, Alternate LINK

Title: Immunological Analysis Of Phase Ii Glioblastoma Dendritic Cell Vaccine (Audencel) Trial: Immune System Characteristics Influence Outcome And Audencel Up-Regulates Th1-Related Immunovariables

Subject: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

Journal: Acta Neuropathologica Communications

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Authors: Friedrich Erhart, Johanna Buchroithner, René Reitermaier, Katrin Fischhuber, Simone Klingenbrunner, Ido Sloma, Dror Hibsh, Renana Kozol, Sol Efroni, Gerda Ricken, Adelheid Wöhrer, Christine Haberler, Johannes Hainfellner, Günther Krumpl, Thomas Felzmann, Alexander M. Dohnal, Christine Marosi, Carmen Visus

Published: 2018-12-01

Everything You Need To Know

What is Audencel and how does it work against glioblastoma?

Audencel is a dendritic cell vaccine designed to stimulate the immune system to target and destroy glioblastoma cells. It aims to enhance the body's natural defenses to fight this aggressive brain cancer. The goal is to trigger a strong immune response that specifically targets the tumor cells, leading to their destruction and ultimately improving patient outcomes, although trials have not shown significant clinical efficacy in all patients.

Why is pre-existing immunity important in glioblastoma treatment with Audencel?

Pre-existing immunity, particularly high counts of CD8+ T cells and a strong Granzyme B response before treatment with Audencel, is associated with longer survival in glioblastoma patients. CD8+ T cells are immune cells that directly kill infected or cancerous cells. Granzyme B is an enzyme released by immune cells to induce programmed cell death in target cells. The presence of these factors suggests the immune system is already primed to fight the tumor.

How does Audencel impact the immune system, even if it doesn't always improve survival?

While Audencel treatment didn't improve overall survival in the trial, it did upregulate Th1-related immunovariables, including interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and the transcription factor T-bet. Interferon-gamma is a critical cytokine for anti-tumor immunity, and T-bet is essential for Th1 cell development. This indicates the vaccine can stimulate the immune system in a way that could potentially be beneficial in combination with other therapies or in patients with specific pre-existing immune profiles.

Can CD8+ T cell counts and Granzyme B levels be used as biomarkers for glioblastoma treatment?

The levels of CD8+ T cells and Granzyme B could potentially be used as biomarkers to identify glioblastoma patients who are more likely to benefit from Audencel treatment. Patients with high pre-treatment counts of CD8+ T cells and a strong Granzyme B response demonstrated longer survival. Identifying such biomarkers are important for personalized treatment strategies, allowing clinicians to select the most appropriate therapies for individual patients based on their immune profile.

What is the role of Granzyme B in the immune response against glioblastoma?

Granzyme B is a crucial enzyme released by immune cells that triggers apoptosis (programmed cell death) in target cells, including cancer cells. A strong Granzyme B response indicates the immune system's readiness and ability to eliminate tumor cells upon recognition. Measuring Granzyme B levels can help assess the cytotoxic activity of the immune system and predict treatment response to immunotherapies like Audencel.