Human papillomavirus (HPV) has long been recognized as the causative agent of
cervical cancer. High-risk HPV types 16 and 18 alone are responsible for over 70% of all cases of
cervical cancers. More recently, HPV has been identified as an etiological factor for several other forms of
cancers, including oropharyngeal, anogenital, and skin. Thus, the association of HPV with these
malignancies creates an opportunity to control these HPV lesions and HPV-associated
malignancies through immunization. Strategies to prevent or to therapeutically treat
HPV infections have been developed and are still pushing innovative boundaries. Currently, commercial prophylactic
HPV vaccines are widely available, but they are not able to control established
infections or lesions. As a result, there is an urgent need for the development of therapeutic
HPV vaccines, to treat existing
infections, and to prevent the development of HPV-associated
cancers. In particular,
DNA vaccination has emerged as a promising form of therapeutic
HPV vaccine.
DNA vaccines have great potential for the treatment of
HPV infections and HPV-associated
cancers due to their safety, stability, simplicity of manufacturability, and ability to induce
antigen-specific immunity. This review focuses on the current state of therapeutic HPV
DNA vaccines, including results from recent and ongoing clinical trials, and outlines different strategies that have been employed to improve their potencies. The continued progress and improvements made in therapeutic HPV
DNA vaccine development holds great potential for innovative ways to effectively treat
HPV infections and HPV-associated diseases.