Having established that spontaneously arising survivin specific T cells can be detected in cancer patients we embarked on in vitro induction experiments using healthy donor derived mature DC, electroporated with in vitro transcribed mRNA, as stimulator cells and isolated CD8+ T cells as responders, the purpose being to optimize T cell stimulation protocols, employing mature DC, survivin and cytokine encoding mRNA, for in vivo vaccination studies in HNSCC cancer patients. The gene discussed is CD8A; the disease is cancer.