Abstract
A persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is considered causal and necessary for the continued growth of cervical cancer. Thus, vaccination against HPV represents a plausible approach to prevent and treat cervical cancer. A report in the current issue of the European Journal of Immunology describes a therapeutic HPV DNA vaccination strategy using the HPV‐16 E7 antigen fused to the invariant chain to enhance the E7‐specific CD8+ and CD4+ T cell immune responses, resulting in a potent anti‐tumor effect against E7‐expressing tumors. Continued exploration of HPV therapeutic DNA vaccines may lead to eventual clinical application.See accompanying article http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/eji.200636233