Cancer/testis antigens for therapeutic use

Since van der Bruggen and colleagues first identified specific human tumor-associated antigens of the MAGE family, numerous potential immunotherapeutic targets have been discovered, often belonging to the so-called cancer/testis gene family. Several members of this group have been described as immunogenic and have been utilised in clinical trials. In a search-for interesting targets within this family, our laboratory has focussed its works for a number of years on two novel cancer/testis antigens called T21 and HAGE. In this article, we will focus our discussion on their levels of expression in a wide variety of both normal and cancer tissues, their possible role in tumour cell development and proliferation, and their immunogenic potential.