Understanding PRAME and HLA Typing for Targeted Cellular Therapies

PRAME, a tumor-associated antigen highly expressed in melanoma with limited expression in healthy tissue, has become an increasingly attractive target for vaccines, engineered T-cell therapies, and bispecific agents. This segment explains what clinicians treating melanoma should know about PRAME biology, including its prognostic role in uveal melanoma. In that setting, PRAME positivity combined with gene expression profiling signals a higher risk of metastatic disease. The conversation then turns to human leukocyte antigen (HLA) restriction, which governs eligibility for many of these therapies. The panel explains that tumor cells present intracellular antigens through a specific HLA allele. That allele is found in a minority of patients and is more common in White populations, so HLA-negative patients may be ineligible. Faculty describe HLA typing as a straightforward germline blood test that requires only a single matching allele. They recommend ordering it proactively and recording it alongside BRAF status so that results are available before treatment decisions become urgent.