Elliott Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Kristian M. Hargadon recently contributed a comprehensive review article on dendritic-cell based immunotherapy for melanoma to a special issue of Frontiers in Immunology. An expert in tumor immunology who has conducted cutting-edge research on melanoma-associated suppression of dendritic cell function, Dr. Hargadon was invited in the summer of 2017 to contribute to the Frontiers in Immunology Research Topic “New Therapies and Immunological Findings in Melanoma and Other Skin Cancers,” a special issue for the journal edited by Dr. Atsushi Otsuka of Kyoto University in Japan and Dr. Reinhard Dummer of University Hospital Zurich in Switzerland. Dr. Hargadon’s article discusses not only the most current research on dendritic cell immunosuppression by melanoma but also other factors that influence dendritic cell function in the context of this cancer, including factors that influence the immunogenicity of tumor cell death, tumor-altered dendritic cell metabolism, and microbiome influences on dendritic cell-mediated anti-tumor immunity. His article highlights the current state of dendritic cell immunotherapy for melanoma and discusses future challenges that will need to be overcome to further improve the efficacy of dendritic cell-based therapies for this cancer.

Frontiers in Immunology is the official Journal of the International Union of Immunological Societies. It is the leading and most-cited Open Access journal in the field of Immunology and is the 5th most cited overall of 150 journals in the field of Immunology. Dr. Hargadon’s article can be accessed at https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2017.01594/full