General approaches to measuring immune responses

Our understanding of the T cell immune response directed against tumors has advanced significantly over the past several years. As a result, a host of immune-based strategies for treating and preventing cancer are being tested in the clinic. The development of reproducible and quantitative methods for monitoring tumor-specific immunity has also become better defined. Assays, such as ELISPOT and MHC tetramers, that a few years ago were used only by a very few investigators, have now become standard tools for tumor immunologists. Standard quantitative methods are undergoing a reevaluation as newer approaches are developed which focus on potential functions of the induced immune response. In the future, assessment of the tumor-specific immune response will entail a combination of assays directed against both measuring the direct effect of the immune manipulation as well as methods that assess the effect of such interventions on the immune microenvironment.