[5] Tumor Mutational Burden (TMB, the number of mutations within a targeted genetic region in the cancerous cell's DNA) correlates with the number of neoepitopes, and have been suggested to correlate with patient survival post immunotherapy, although the findings about the neoantigen/immunogenicity association are disputed.
The mRNA translates information from the DNA into polypeptide composed of 20 standard amino acids and then proteins.
Several of the standard amino acids can be posttranslationally modified by enzymatic processes, or can be altered through spontaneous (nonenzymatic) biochemical reactions.
[10] There is increasing evidence that immune recognition of neoepitopes produced by cancer-specific mutations is a key mechanism for the induction of immune-mediated tumor rejection.
The concept is based on a mapping of the tumor-specific individual mutanome with identification of a range of suitable neoepitopes for a patient-specific vaccine.