Dendritic cells in the treatment of HIV, cancer and systemic lupus erythematosus

Abstract

Vaccines have been one of the best weapons against diseases that have affected humanity for years, their development has allowed the eradication of important epidemics such as smallpox in 1980. Previously, complete microorganisms, or parts of them, were used to fight a disease. Nowadays vaccines make use of more sophisticated components such as genetic material and/or viral vectors. However, although technology in vaccine development has increased considerably in recent years, there are still limitations for the treatment of diseases caused by viruses such as HIV and complex diseases that are difficult to address such as systemic lupus erythematosus and cancer. This article briefly describes an overview of such diseases and the current trend of directing the immune response by vaccinating cells, not people. The importance of dendritic cells and the new technologies that have emerged in recent years are highlighted.