Peripheral Blood as the Sole Source for Cancer Neoantigen and Reactive T-Cell Discovery.

Peripheral blood-based approach identifies more neoantigens and T-cell reactivities than tumor biopsies in metastatic cancer patients, with nearly 50% eligibility.

• Why it matters: Current neoantigen-targeted T-cell therapies depend on invasive biopsies, which limit patient eligibility and may miss tumor heterogeneity, reducing therapeutic effectiveness.
• What they did: The study used cell-free DNA whole-exome sequencing and isolated neoantigen-specific T cells based on PD-1 and CD39 expression in blood samples from eight patients, then extended analysis to 69 patients.
• The result: This blood-only method uncovered additional neoantigens and increased T-cell reactivity detection, enabling broader neoantigen targeting and expanding potential for non-invasive personalized immunotherapy.