Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and compositions for treating cancer by eliciting an immune response by administering dendritic cells expressing heterologous proteins. In some embodiments, a dendritic cell comprises one or more heterologous nucleic acid molecules encoding for CD40L and CXCL13. In some embodiments, the dendritic cell further comprises a heterologous nucleic acid molecule encoding for CD93. In yet additional embodiments, the dendritic cells expressing heterologous proteins are activated.